Dr. Haseltine on Antiviral Drugs:
SOURCE: Human Genome Sciences, Inc.
Scientific American Article Describes New Golden Age of Antiviral Drugs and Vaccines
- Advances in the Study of Viral Genomes Laid the Foundation for Rapid Progress in the Development of New Antiviral Vaccines and Drugs Says Author William A. Haseltine, Ph.D. -
ROCKVILLE, Md., Oct. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- William A. Haseltine, Ph.D., author of the article selected for the cover of the soon-to-be-distributed November issue of Scientific American, said, ``The 1950s were the golden age of antibiotics to treat bacterial infections. We are now in the early years of the golden age of antiviral drugs. The 1990s witnessed the discovery of a wide array of new antiviral drugs for the treatment of diseases such as hepatitis B, herpes and AIDS. The next decade will witness the discovery of many more new antiviral drugs and vaccines for diseases ranging from the common cold to more serious life-threatening diseases such as Ebola and hepatitis C. These impressive advances have been made possible by scientific progress made two decades ago in the 1980s in the field of viral genomics.''
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Dr. Haseltine's article points out that until the early 1980s, medicine had few remedies to offer for viral diseases ``beyond chicken soup and a cluster of vaccines.'' Today, thanks in large part to genomic research, hundreds of antiviral drugs are in development, and dozens are being tested in volunteers against a wide variety of viruses, from cold viruses to herpes viruses, and from influenza viruses to the human immunodeficiency virus. Vaccines developed with the help of genomics are in development for a number of important viral diseases, among them HIV, dengue fever, genital herpes and the often fatal hemorrhagic fever caused by the Ebola virus.
Dr. Haseltine, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSI - news), identifies viral genomics, the deciphering of the genetic texts of viruses, as the principal force that has enabled the progress. ``With a full or even a partial genome sequence in hand, scientists can quickly learn many details of how a virus causes disease-and which stages of the process might be particularly vulnerable to attack,'' Dr. Haseltine writes. ``In 2001, the full genome of any virus can be sequenced within days, making it possible to spot that virus's weaknesses with unprecedented speed.''
Dr. Haseltine's article says that, ``Genomics has been a springboard for discovering fresh targets for attack and has thus opened the way to development of whole new classes of antiviral drugs.'' Many more antiviral drugs are likely to be developed to overcome problems such as drug resistance.
Commenting today, Dr. Haseltine said, ``The breathtaking pace of antiviral drug discovery is proof that genomics works. Just as research on viral genomes in the 1980s has led and continues to lead to victories against viruses, current research on the human genome will lead to equivalent victories against many other types of disease.''
Until 1995, Dr. Haseltine held professorships at Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. His laboratory was the first to assemble the sequence of the AIDS virus genome.
Human Genome Sciences is a company with a mission to treat and cure disease by bringing new gene-based drugs to patients.
HGS and Human Genome Sciences are registered trademarks of Human Genome Sciences, Inc. For additional information on Human Genome Sciences, Inc., visit the company's web site at hgsi.com . Copies of HGS press releases are also available by fax 24 hours a day at no charge by calling 800-758-5804, ext. 121115.
SOURCE: Human Genome Sciences, Inc. |
