Cell and Gene-Based Therapies for HIV
A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Human Virology and Viral Diseases".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 111
Special Issue Editor
Interests: CRISPR-Cas strategies in antiviral therapy; virus-host interactions; the role of viral and host RNA epigenetic modifications in regulating viral replication and innate immunity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
While significant progress has been made in controlling HIV infection through conventional antiretroviral therapy (ART) and the emerging multistage inhibitor lenacapavir, achieving a cure remains an urgent global challenge. Although allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) has provided proof-of-concept for functional cure, its complexity and invasiveness limit broad application. This Special Issue showcases transformative strategies designed to surpass lifelong ART by directly engineering host immunity or genetics for durable viral control or eradication. We will explore innovative approaches, including HIV-specific CAR-T cells, diverse gene-editing platforms (e.g., Cas-derived nucleases, base/prime editors, RNA-targeting editors and epigenetic editing systems) and advanced delivery technologies (e.g., physicochemical methods, viral/non-viral vectors and combined approaches) for ex/in vivo applications.
We seek original research and reviews highlighting breakthroughs and challenges in this field. Topics of interest include: targeting the latent reservoir/host factors; therapy design, preclinical validation and clinical translation; mechanisms of action, safety and long-term efficacy; and discussions on delivery, editing efficiency, scalable manufacturing and ethics. Our goal is to bridge foundational science and clinical practice, illuminating how these therapies are reshaping the path to an HIV cure and informing therapeutic platforms for other diseases.
Dr. Shuliang Chen
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- HIV cure strategies
- gene editing
- CAR-T cells
- viral reservoir
- stem cell transplantation
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