Globally, there are about 37 million people living with HIV/AIDS and 1.2 million died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2014.  In the US, over 1.1 million live with HIV/AIDS and 50,000 new cases are reported each year.  The HIV therapeutics market was valued at $14.3 billion in 2012 and is expected to reach $16.3 billion by 2019.  While highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) is the dominant therapeutic strategy, efficacy would be improved by simultaneous targeting of different stages of the viral life cycle. There are only two FDA-approved therapies that target viral entry, and these molecules are expensive to produce and have limited co-receptor engagement.

Researchers in the Chaiken lab have synthesized multivalent gold nanoparticle conjugates with a peptide triazole entry inhibitor that targets the HIV-1 viral envelope.  This conjugate is a potent inhibitor complex that inhibits the HIV-1 pseudovirus at a nM scale in vitro by destabilizing the virus.  The peptide triazole inhibitor binds HIV-1 gp120, conformationally trapping the glycoprotein in an inactive state and subsequently blocking host cell CD4 and co-receptor CCR5 and CXCR4 sites.  Conjugation of the peptide to gold nanoparticles significantly enhances the therapeutic potency and stability.