Male Semen Makes HIV More Potent:
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=male-semen-makes-hiv-more-potent

Proteins found that AIDS virus preys on

'The proteins it exploits have been dubbed HIV dependency factors, and 36 had been discovered. The new research, published online Thursday by the journal Science, found 273 of these potential HIV targets.

Led by geneticist Stephen Elledge of Brigham and Women's Hospital, the team used a technique called RNA interference that can disrupt a gene's ability to do its job and make a protein. One by one, they disrupted thousands of human genes in test tubes, dropped in some HIV, and watched what happened. If HIV couldn't grow well, it signaled the protein that the gene that had failed to produce must be the reason.

It will take far more research to figure out the role each of these proteins plays in HIV's life cycle.'

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080110/ap_on_he_me/hiv_proteins

I'll add some more URLs about the 273 human proteins used by HIV.
11 Jan 2008 Science Daily http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080110144848.htm
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/93668.php
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/11/science/11hiv.html?ref=us
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/...1/10/AR2008011003548.html

This is the sort of research (using a different method) that the Human Proteome Folding Project is involved with - trying to discover the 'cycles' of interaction between proteins. This new research identifies 273 human proteins involved in the processes initiated by the 15 proteins produced by the HIV virus.

Lawrence

New HIV Drug Etravine Wins FDA Approval

Main Category: Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals
Also Included In: HIV / AIDS
Article Date: 22 Jan 2008

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave approval last Friday, 18th January, for etravine to be used as an adjunct anti-HIV therapy for adults who have failed to respond to other antiretroviral treatments. The drug's brand name is Intelence and is distributed by Tibotec Therapeutics, a division of Ortho Biotech Products of New Jersey.

Etravine is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI), a family of drugs that prevents the viral DNA from being copied and integrated with host cell DNA by blocking an enzyme. This stops the virus from multiplying. Other NNRTI drugs exist, but the virus has developed new mutant strains that have become resistant to them.

The FDA conducted a priority review of the drug, which has been approved for use only in combination with other anti-HIV treatments.

Director of the FDA's Division of Antiviral Products, Dr Debra B Birnkrant, said in a prepared statement that:

"This is another significant new product for many HIV-infected patients who are NNRTI resistant and whose infections are not responding to currently available medications."

When taken as prescribed, in conjunction with other anti-HIV drugs, etravine has two beneficial effects. First, it reduces the amount of HIV in the blood, and second it increases the number of CD4 white blood cells which helps the patient to resist and fight off other infections. This in turn reduces the risk of death or infection from having a weakened immune system...............................

Scientists Study How HIV Hides in Body

The AIDS virus has hideouts deep in the immune system that today's drugs can't reach. Now scientists finally have discovered how HIV builds one of those fortresses _ and they're exploring whether a drug already used to fight a parasite in developing countries just might hold a key to break in......