Progress on novel immunomodulatory agents for HIV-1 infection and other infectious diseases

Abstract

Availability of a vast array of recombinant and synthetic immunomodulators represents a significant milestone toward the development of effective therapies for infectious diseases. This is attested by the licensing of several recombinant human cytokines, including colony-stimulating factors, interleukins, interferons and erythropoietin, for clinical use in patients. The identification of the essential role of coreceptors for the entry of HIV into the host cell focused attention on chemokines as important targets for pharmacological intervention. This generated an intense search for molecules possessing therapeutic potential as inhibitors of chemokine receptors and several new compounds have been advocated. Diverse combinations with interferons and other cytokines for the treatment of various viral infections, including hepatitis B and C, have been proposed. Considerable advances have been made on compounds exhibiting cytokine inhibitory properties useful for new treatments of infectious and inflammatory diseases. Many of the major developments and current trends in the area of cytokine biology and therapy are highlighted in this review. Novel strategies based on the engineering of cytokines and inhibitors are poised to revolutionise therapeutic options in the coming decades.

• chemokine
• chemokine inhibitor
• cytokine
• hepatitis virus
• HIV
• immunomodulators
• interferons