HIV Reservoirs: Modeling, Quantification, and Approaches to a Cure

Area of Science:

• Primate immunology and infectious disease research.
• Virology and retroviral pathogenesis.
• Translational biomedical research.

Background:

• Nonhuman primates (NHPs) are vital animal models in biomedical research due to physiological and immunological similarities to humans.
• NHPs serve as models for various infectious diseases, with specific species naturally hosting simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) without developing acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
• Cross-species SIV transmission can lead to progressive disease and AIDS in nonnatural hosts, mirroring human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the importance of NHPs in HIV/SIV research.
• To discuss critical factors influencing HIV cure research using NHPs.
• To provide a framework for designing effective NHP studies for HIV cure strategies.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on NHP models in HIV/SIV research.
• Analysis of factors impacting disease progression and experimental outcomes in NHPs.
• Discussion of considerations for contemporary HIV cure research.

Main Results:

• NHP models, especially rhesus macaques infected with SIV, closely recapitulate human HIV infection, aiding pathogenesis and cure research.
• Successful HIV cure research necessitates careful selection of NHP species, genetic background, virus strain, and experimental conditions.
• Understanding natural SIV host-pathogen dynamics in African NHPs offers insights into nonprogressive infection.

Conclusions:

• NHPs are indispensable for advancing HIV/SIV research, particularly in exploring virus persistence and cure.
• Optimizing NHP study design by accounting for species, genetics, and infection parameters is key to successful HIV cure research.
• This discussion aims to guide researchers in leveraging NHP models effectively for HIV cure strategies.