Word: interferon
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...anti-viral drugs are on the cutting edge of Hirsch and Groopman's research. They are azidothymidine (AZT), a synthetic drug that was originally designed to combat cancer, and alpha interferon, a relatively new, genetically-engineered substance. Hirsch has just concluded a two-year placebo-controlled, double-blind study of 24 AIDS and ARC patients treated with the interferon, whose results will be revealed in June. In addition, both Hirsch and Groopman are participating in a nation-wide study of AZT in AIDS and ARC patients. Hirsch has already enrolled more than 100 patients, while Groopman is in the process...
Scientists hope AZT will interrupt this process by preventing the HTLV-III virus from latching onto the genetic material and multiplying, while they hope alpha interferon will keep the viruses from leaving the white blood cell and attacking others. Hirsch is hopeful about the two drugs, both of which have already been shown effective in the laboratory. But there are some indicators that AZT may hold more promise, he and others...
Unlike alpha interferon, AZT can pass through the blood-brain barrier and counteract HTLV-III viruses that have invaded the brain. This may be vital to any successful anti-viral substance that is developed, Hirsch says, because otherwise the virus will simply sequester itself in the brain, the spinal cord, and the peripheral nerves. However, he says that alpha interferon--which is known to be useful in combatting some AIDS-related cancers--may prove valuable in combination with other anti-viral drugs. "[AZT] may turn out to be more useful," he says, "although I don't think we should jump...
Doctors suspect that interferon may be most effective not as a solo performer but in conjunction with other medications. "No single drug is the optimal treatment for any common cancer," says Dr. Ernest Borden of the University of Wisconsin. "The big question over the next five years will be how to combine interferons with other treatments." Particularly promising, says Borden, is combining several types of interferon, since one form seems to enhance the effects of another. Doctors are also excited about the possibility of using interferon together with another powerful, naturally occurring anticancer agent called tumor necrosis factor. "Interferon...
...Some of interferon's failings may stem from the fact that it has been tried mainly in the most desperate cases of cancer, on those for whom no other treatment has worked. "These are the worst possible conditions in which to test it," says Krim. She and others think that interferon holds greater promise for patients with early cancers and those whose immune systems have not been weakened by radiation treatment or chemotherapy. Other potential uses for interferon: heading off the recurrence of tumors after they have been surgically removed, and preventing precancerous conditions like cervical dysplasia from progressing into...