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Tracking replication-competent HIV reservoirs in infected individuals
1National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. twchun@nih.gov
Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS
|February 6, 2013
Summary
Tracking HIV-infected CD4(+) T cells is crucial for assessing novel therapies aimed at HIV eradication. Monitoring these cells, alongside viral load, offers insights into persistent viral reservoirs and treatment efficacy in individuals on antiretroviral therapy (ART).
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Immunology
- HIV/AIDS Research
Background:
- Antiretroviral therapy (ART) effectively suppresses plasma viremia in most individuals with HIV.
- ART alone does not eradicate HIV, leaving persistent viral reservoirs.
- There is a growing scientific interest in developing strategies to eliminate these reservoirs for an HIV cure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the importance of tracking CD4(+) T cells with replication-competent HIV.
- To discuss how this virologic marker can assess ART efficacy and novel eradication strategies.
- To emphasize its role in basic and clinical research for HIV cure.
Main Methods:
- Review of current and proposed therapeutic strategies for HIV reservoir elimination.
- Discussion on the utility of monitoring specific virologic markers.
- Longitudinal measurement of infected CD4(+) T cells and quantitative virologic parameters.
Main Results:
- Novel strategies include HIV-activating agents, genetic modification of CD4(+) T cells, stem cell transplantation, and therapeutic vaccination.
- Accurate assessment of therapeutic agents' effects on HIV burden is essential.
- Majority of infected CD4(+) T cells carry replication-defective HIV.
Conclusions:
- Longitudinal tracking of replication-competent HIV in CD4(+) T cells provides critical insights into viral reservoir dynamics.
- Combined with plasma viremia and cell-associated viral nucleic acid levels, it aids understanding of HIV pathogenesis.
- This approach is vital for evaluating the feasibility of eradicating HIV with novel combination therapies.
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