Gene-Based Induction Therapy Targeting Latent Reservoirs of HIV-1

摘要

A formidable obstacle to eradication of HIV-1 is the presence of a latent viral reservoir. Although current drug protocols for the treatment of HIV-1 greatly reduce the level of replicating virus, an effective strategy to eliminate the latent reservoir has not emerged. Experimental data have shown that expression of the Herpesvirus saimiri (HVS) protein StpC induces reactivation of HIV-1 from latently infected cells. We have designed a vector based on StpC including both induction and suicide elements in order to study its efficacy as a gene-based therapy targeting latent reservoirs of HIV-1.