Retroviral proteases as targets for drug design

Dr. Alexander Wlodawer, Chief, Macromolecular Crystallography Laboratory, NCI-Frederick, P.O. Box B, Frederick, MD 21702, Phone (301) 846-5036 fax -6322 , mobile (301) 693-9822, wlodawer@ncifcrf.gov

For the last 10 years the use of inhibitors of HIV protease as anti-AIDS drugs has completely changed the outcome of the epidemic, transforming AIDS from an invariably fatal disease to a serious, but manageable one. However, the emergence of resistance has necessitated continuous development of new generations of inhibitors. A database of structures of HIV protease, originally created at NCI and now continued at NIST, is an important source of structural information about this important enzyme. However, AIDS is not the only disease caused by retroviruses. While the structures of FIV, RSV and EIAV proteases did not lead directly to development of drugs against these animal diseases, a novel target for drug design is provided by the recently solved structure of HTLV-1 protease. HTLV-1 is an unusual oncovirus and many of the over 30 million people worldwide who are infected by it will develop severe and usually fatal leukemia. No proper chemotherapy against this disease is currently available and it is hoped that the structure of the first HTLV enzyme will spur drug development.

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