Until very recently, the prospect of using small molecules to block specific protein-protein interactions was viewed with much skepticism. But protein-protein interactions play a key role in most biological processes and therefore are an important class of therapeutic targets. These interactions were overlooked for a long time, since developing drugs against the traditional targets such as enzymes and receptors was more cost effective. Since the cost of developing these classical drugs is increasing rapidly and pipelines are running dry, research into protein-protein interactions is becoming feasible and warranted.rnThis idea can be applied to the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). The virus relies on several cellular proteins to replicate, proteins referred to as cofactors. Not only does understanding the interaction between HIV proteins and cellular cofactors shed light on the virus's effects but it provides new strategies for antiviral therapy.rnDeveloping drugs to target cellular cofactors constitutes a paradigm shift in antiviral research as present day antivirals typically target viral proteins. In the case of chronic viral infection this specificity for the viral target comes at a cost since viruses, with their high mutation rate, can become resistant to the antiviral drugs. The answer could be to develop drugs that target specific virus protein-cofactor interactions.
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