Biotech firm reports progress in search for AIDS vaccine

Human Genome Sciences Inc. has identified an antibody the company says holds promise for a possible vaccine for HIV and AIDS.

The Rockville-based company said yesterday it has chosen for further study one of 38 antibodies - 15 of them human - that bind to a receptor that, if blocked, could stop the entry of the virus that has infected about 38 million people worldwide.

Known as CCR5, the receptor sits on the surface of cells, acting as docking station onto which proteins, chemicals and even viruses cling.

Human Genome researchers measured each antibody's ability to bind competitively to the receptor - keeping it busy, so to speak - a process that theoretically cuts off the virus's access.

The compound chosen was the most highly potent at blocking the virus, while causing no unintended complications, said company spokesman Jerry Parrott.

Parrott declined to provide a time frame for moving the antibody from lab and animal studies to human testing. However, the company's Web site indicates Human Genome intends to file an investigational new drug application with the Food and Drug Administration this year.

In recent years, pharmaceutical companies have developed a growing number of drugs that block interactions with receptors as a way to treat various conditions.

Human Genome, for example, is developing three anti-cancer drugs and an anthrax vaccine based on the approach. Likewise, three of the nation's largest drug companies - Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline and Schering-Plough - are also racing to develop a drug based on inhibiting the CCR5 receptor.

Legal issues are likely to arise if any of the drugs reach the market.

In 2000, Human Genome was granted a patent on the gene that regulates the receptor.

Also yesterday, Human Genome reported results from a relatively early clinical trial of Albuferon, a drug for the treatment of hepatitis C. A study of 119 patients found the drug remained in the body for a longer period than standard therapies and lowered concentrations of the virus.

The announcements mark progress on drugs the company identified as part of its core focus last year, when it cut about 10 percent of its work force.

The company has six drugs in development.

Shares of Human Genome closed at $10.08 yesterday, down 18 cents in Nasdaq trading.

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