An NS3 protease inhibitor with antiviral effects in humans infected with hepatitis C virus
An NS3 protease inhibitor with antiviral effects in humans infected with hepatitis C virus
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DOI:
10.1038/nature02099
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发表时间:
2003-11-13
期刊:
影响因子:
64.8
通讯作者:
Llinàs-Brunet, M
中科院分区:
文献类型:
--
作者:
Lamarre, D;Anderson, PC;Llinàs-Brunet, M
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a serious cause of chronic liver disease worldwide with more than 170 million infected individuals at risk of developing significant morbidity and mortality(1-3). Current interferon-based therapies(4) are suboptimal especially in patients infected with HCV genotype 1, and they are poorly tolerated, highlighting the unmet medical need for new therapeutics(5,6). The HCV-encoded NS3 protease is essential for viral replication(7,8) and has long been considered an attractive target for therapeutic intervention in HCV-infected patients. Here we identify a class of specific and potent NS3 protease inhibitors and report the evaluation of BILN 2061, a small molecule inhibitor biologically available through oral ingestion and the first of its class in human trials. Administration of BILN 2061 to patients infected with HCV genotype 1 for 2 days resulted in an impressive reduction of HCV RNA plasma levels, and established proof-of-concept in humans for an HCV NS3 protease inhibitor. Our results further illustrate the potential of the viral-enzyme-targeted drug discovery approach for the development of new HCV therapeutics.