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Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Evaluation of the Efficacy And Toxicity of RNAs Targeting HIV-1 Production for Use in Gene or Drug Therapy
Published on: September 5, 2016
Oligonucleotide-mediated retroviral RNase H activation leads to reduced HIV-1 titer in patient-derived plasma
Jochen Heinrich1, Srikanth Mathur, Alexey A Matskevich
1Institute of Medical Virology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Background:
The retroviral RNase H is essential for viral replication. This component has not yet been extensively studied for antiviral therapy. It can be activated by an oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) resulting in self-destruction of the virions.
Objective:
To examine antiviral potential of ODN in clinical samples using plasma of HIV-1-infected patients.
Design:
Plasma of 19 HIV-1-infected patients from Zurich and 10 HIV-1 isolates from Africa and drug-resistant strains were processed for ex-vivo treatment.
Methods:
Cell-free virions were treated with ODN in the plasma and HIV RNA was measured by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Furthermore, infectivity of the treated virions was tested on primary human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
Results:
Cell-free virions in plasma contained significantly less intact HIV RNA upon treatment with ODN (P = 0.0004), and their infectivity was decreased 52-fold (P = 0.0004). In 39% of the Zurich samples, infectivity was reduced more than 10-fold, in 33% more than 100-fold, and in 28% more than 1000-fold. Also, the isolates from Africa exhibited a 63-fold reduction in infectivity (P = 0.0069) with 80% of the isolates responding more than 10-fold, 40% more than 100-fold, and 10% more than 1000-fold.
Conclusion:
Significant reduction of plasma HIV RNA levels and infectivity of treated virions was achieved on the basis of induced self-destruction of HIV observed with clinical samples. Reduction of viral load ex vivo was designed as model for potential effects in vivo. Premature activation rather than inhibition of a viral enzyme could be a model strategy for future antiretroviral control.
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