Application of latent HIV-1 infected cellular models to therapeutic intervention

The 10-year period of clinical latency following infection with the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 remains as a tremendous opportunity for therapeutic intervention. To decipher the viral and cellular mechanisms involved in controlling active and nonproductive viral expression, chronically infected cell lines have been developed which mimic in vivo latency at a cellular level. This review compares these models of chronic infection, emphasizing the advantages and limitations of this approach to the understanding of AIDS progression. In addition, it accentuates the utility of these models of chronic infection in the development and testing of novel drugs aimed at altering the efferent component of the HIV--1 life cycle. It is this component of the viral life cycle that has remained largely unexplored and open to novel therapeutic strategies for the prevention of lethal immunosuppression.