Targeted delivery of drugs for treatment of viral infections

Abstract

Conjugates of transferrin or transcobalamin with anti-viral agents are useful in the treatment of viral infections. Suitable anti-viral agents include apoptosis inducing compounds, compounds which inhibit the replication of the virus, a cytotoxic antibiotic, an alkylating agent, a plant toxin, and a bacterial mutant toxin. Transferrin or transcobalamin is preferably coupled to the anti-viral agent by means of glutaraldehyde.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of bioactive materials. More specifically, the bioactive materials involved in the present invention are suitable for the treatment of stressed cells, including human cells, especially cells stressed by viral infection. Background technique [0002] Two common problems associated with drugs during treatment are drug toxicity and drug resistance, which debilitates the patient; drug resistance magnifies the problem of drug toxicity by requiring larger doses of the drug, and drug resistance. This often results in death. One approach to address drug toxicity is to target the drug only to the diseased cells. Many researchers are working on developing antibodies for drug delivery and have made promising progress. But antibodies are not without their problems. For example, antibodies often bind to normal tissue, and they can also damage blood vessels (as in blood leak syndrome) or cause severe allergic r...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Another approach involves inhibitors of proteases involved in the processing of gag and gag-pol polyproteins during virion maturation (Gulnik et al., Vit & Hormones. 2000;58:213), but treatment with protease inhibitors also frequently Medicinal properties (Olsen et al., JBiol Chem 1999;274:23699)

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