Diagnostic manner of the medicine constituent and the HIV infection which suppress the fact that the retro-virus joins to the IFN receptor contentiously

摘要

PCT No. PCT/EP96/03648 Sec. 371 Date Apr. 20, 1998 Sec. 102(e) Date Apr. 20, 1998 PCT Filed Aug. 19, 1996 PCT Pub. No. WO97/06818 PCT Pub. Date Feb. 27, 1997The present invention is based on the observation that HIV does not only interact with the CD4 receptor of target cells but that there exists a different type of interaction between HIV envelope protein and the IFN receptor of the target cell. Thus, blocking such interaction can be useful for preventing or treating retroviral infections. Accordingly, the present invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions for competitively inhibiting the binding of a retrovirus, preferably HIV, to the IFN-receptor of a target cell. Preferably, said pharmaceutical compositions comprise a protein, polypeptide or equivalent molecule or a combination thereof which binds to the IFN- alpha / beta -receptor or to HIV-gp41. Furthermore, the present invention relates to the use of said protein, polypeptide or equivalent molecule or IFN- beta or a combination thereof for the preparation of a pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating retroviral infections. The present invention also relates to a combination of substances for the diagnosis of an HIV infection which is based on the detection of the interaction between HIV-gp41 and the IFN- alpha / beta -receptor.