Image courtesy of NIAID via Flickr.
Tiny molecules are reshaping big battles. The success of ribonucleic acid (RNA)-based COVID-19 vaccines showed the world nanomedicine’s potential to equip the body with a genetic action plan against viruses. Now, a new frontier is emerging in the fight against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), using small interfering RNA (siRNA)—short, double-stranded RNA molecules that regulate specific gene expression—to tackle this ruthless virus at the genetic level.
Part of what makes HIV so dangerous is its dual strategy to invade and evade. In a new study, Emmanuel Ho and his team at the University of Waterloo have pioneered a vaginally administered siRNA therapy targeting these two mechanisms. First, the therapy silences a specific gene in host T-cells, shutting the gates through which HIV invades. Additionally, the therapy inhibits the gene in HIV that enables it to hide from the immune system. The treatment is delivered in a pH-protected gel, allowing the siRNA to remain stable in the acidic vaginal environment.
In preliminary trials, this siRNA nanomedicine demonstrated a seventy-three percent reduction in HIV replication. This offers a promising preventive option for women, who are disproportionately impacted by HIV due to biological factors like the larger mucosal surface area of the vaginal tract and social factors including stigmatization and inequity in healthcare.
With gene-specific therapies, nanomedicine is opening doors not only for HIV prevention but also for a new class of treatments targeting other infectious diseases. As these advancements continue, the potential for these tiny molecules to solve large-scale issues has never been clearer.