Frogs, HIV and the Wonders of Science.

I work at Vanderbilt in the research sector. Every day I either see or hear of amazing thing being done. Today I read in the in house publication, The Reporter, an article that bring up once such example of amazing discovery.

Dr. Louise A. Rollins-Smith, Ph.D., associate professor of Microbiology & Immunology at Vanderbilt got a grant from the National Science Foundation to study the decline of a tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas, pictured) which are in decline in Central America and California. "Amphibian skin has long been favored in folklore for its medicinal properties … Frogs are a rich source of potentially useful molecules that might work against human pathogens", says Dr Rollins-Smith.

Frog skin contains glands that, in response to skin injury or alarm, release fluids with that protect the animal from possible infection by pathogens such as viruses. Dr. Rollins-Smith happened to mention this to colleague, Derya Unutmaz, M.D, in a hallway chat who happened to have a lab next door to hers and they thought they would see if the peptides might have affect on virusethatht infechumansms. Dr. Unutmaz focus is the HIV virus.

HIV is spread throughout the body by entering a dendritic cell. A dentritic cell is a immune system cell that is located in tissues that interact with outside environment and interacts with the T-helper cell. The virus is attracted to the receptors outside the T-helper cell and transmission occurses. The HIV virus then kills these T-Cells therefore weakening the immune system.

Dr. Unutmaz and Dr. Rollins-Smith have found that peptides contained in the fluids of Agalychnis callidryas are able to kill the HIV virus in the dendritic cells as they search for T-cells. This discovery could lead to creation of small molecules that target the HIV virus and may be used in a possible vaccine.

Isn't science amazing?

Photo Credit Douglas Woodhams

For More HIV and AIDS related material:
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Vanderbilts HIV Vaccine Program
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