ITK: TKO for HIV

HIV's resistance to antiretrovirals has led researchers to target host proteins upon which the virus depends for survival. Compounds targeting these proteins are harder for HIV to resist but are potentially more toxic to the host than drugs that target viral proteins. Scientists now report that inhibition of IL-2-inducible T cell kinase in T cells blocks three stages of HIV replication without compromising T cell function.¹ However, companies contacted by SciBX want to know more about how IL-2-inducible T cell kinase inhibitors work-and how well-before deciding on the viability of the target.

The paper, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by a team of researchers at the NIH, Pennsylvania State University...