Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
7.6
3.8
Journals
Viruses
Special Issues
Advances in HIV Treatment, Prevention, and Cure Interventions
share announcement

Advances in HIV Treatment, Prevention, and Cure Interventions

A Special Issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915) belonging to the section "Human Virology and Viral Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2027 | Viewed by 1010

Editors

Prof. Dr. Ricardo Sobhie Diaz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The Retrovirology Laboratory, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Interests: HIV/AIDS; antiretroviral therapy (ART); human retroviruses; HIV drug resistance
Prof. Dr. Mauro Schechter

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Infectious Diseases, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
Interests: HIV/AIDS; antiretroviral therapy (ART); human retroviruses; HIV drug resistance

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Despite substantial progress over the past decades, HIV remains a major global health challenge. Expanding effective prevention strategies and optimizing antiretroviral therapy in diverse populations are urgent priorities. The elimination of the HIV reservoir, a cause of continuous microinflammation, remains an elusive goal.

Therefore, to live in an HIV free world, advances in antiretroviral treatment, prevention, and interventions to decrease, or even eliminate, the HIV reservoir to obtain HIV remission without antiretrovirals, are of paramount importance.

Thus, we are pleased to invite you to submit original research articles, reviews, and concise reports that address critical advances in the prevention, treatment, and cure research for HIV infection. In particular, there is a pressing need for high-quality evidence addressing real-world effectiveness, resistance dynamics, long-acting agents, adherence, and health system delivery.

Prof. Dr. Ricardo Sobhie Diaz
Prof. Dr. Mauro Schechter
Guest Editors

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-anonymized 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

  • pre-exposure prophylaxis
  • novel antiretroviral treatment targets
  • HIV residual replication
  • decreasing HIV reservoir
  • HIV micoinflamtion

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

15 pages, 540 KB  
Article
Baseline HIV Genotyping and Antiretroviral Therapy Resistance Mutations in Saudi Arabian Population, a Multicentre, Cross-Sectional Study
by Roa Al-Osaimi, Moayad Al-Qurashi, Lama Al-Zamil, Batool Ali, Reem Al-Mutairy, Ali Al-Saeed, Meqbel Al-Shelawi, Abdullah Al-Khalaf, Abdullah Al-Subaie and Layla Faqih
Viruses 2026, 18(8), 820; https://doi.org/10.3390/v18080820 - 26 Jul 2026
Viewed by 495
Abstract
Background: Transmitted drug resistance (TDR) remains a critical challenge in HIV-1 management, particularly in treatment-naïve populations. Baseline genotypic resistance testing is recommended to optimize antiretroviral therapy (ART), yet data from Saudi Arabia remain limited. This study aimed to characterize HIV-1 genetic diversity and [...] Read more.
Background: Transmitted drug resistance (TDR) remains a critical challenge in HIV-1 management, particularly in treatment-naïve populations. Baseline genotypic resistance testing is recommended to optimize antiretroviral therapy (ART), yet data from Saudi Arabia remain limited. This study aimed to characterize HIV-1 genetic diversity and baseline resistance-associated mutations among newly diagnosed, ART-naïve individuals. Methods: We conducted a multi-centre, retrospective cross-sectional study across three hospitals in Saudi Arabia between January 2023 and December 2024. Adult, treatment-naïve patients with confirmed HIV infection who underwent genotyping using Sanger sequencing were included. Mutations in reverse transcriptase (RT), protease (PI), and integrase (INSTI) genes were analyzed using the Stanford HIV Drug Resistance Database. Demographic, clinical, and virological data were collected, and comparative analyses between regions were performed. Results: A total of 614 patients were included, predominantly male (85.5%) and aged 25–44 years. Most patients presented with high viral loads (≥10,000 copies/mL, 89.7%), and 25.3% had CD4 counts <200 cells/mm3. HIV-1 subtype distribution was highly diverse, with subtype C (19.5%), CRF02_AG (15.6%), and subtype G (12.7%) predominating. Although mutations were frequently detected (RT: 85.2%, PI: 94.7%, INSTI: 36.4%), the majority were subtype-associated polymorphisms rather than major drug resistance mutations. Clinically significant mutations including M184V/I (1.17%), K103N (0.83%), and K65R (0.17%) were observed at low frequencies. No major INSTI resistance mutations were detected. Multi-class mutation patterns were common but largely driven by accessory variants. Conclusions: Despite the high prevalence of detected mutations, clinically significant TDR remained low, occurring in approximately 2.8% of patients. Most detected variants were polymorphic or accessory mutations, while susceptibility to INSTIs remained largely preserved. Continued baseline genotyping and molecular surveillance remain important to monitor emerging resistance patterns. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in HIV Treatment, Prevention, and Cure Interventions)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

21 pages, 1401 KB  
Review
CCR5 as a Therapeutic Target in HIV Disease: From CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing to Maraviroc-Mediated Inhibition
by Uzair Iqbal, Khadija Khalid, Mohamed Shaltout, Yunus Yukselten and Richard E. Sutton
Viruses 2026, 18(9), 972; https://doi.org/10.3390/v18090972 - 3 Sep 2026
Viewed by 268
Abstract
The C-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5) is the principal co-receptor for R5-tropic HIV-1 and remains one of the most promising therapeutic targets in the pursuit of an HIV cure. The discovery that individuals carrying the naturally occurring CCR5Δ32 mutation exhibit marked resistance [...] Read more.
The C-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5) is the principal co-receptor for R5-tropic HIV-1 and remains one of the most promising therapeutic targets in the pursuit of an HIV cure. The discovery that individuals carrying the naturally occurring CCR5Δ32 mutation exhibit marked resistance to HIV infection established the foundation for both genetic and pharmacological approaches to CCR5 inhibition. This review summarizes recent advances in CCR5-targeted therapies with a focus on CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing and maraviroc-mediated receptor blockade. We discuss the molecular mechanisms, preclinical evidence and emerging clinical data supporting CRISPR-based CCR5 disruption, including multiplex editing strategies designed to overcome viral tropism switching. We also examine the evolving role of maraviroc beyond viral entry inhibition, highlighting its immunomodulatory effects, potential latency-reversing activity and applications in graft-versus-host disease and cancer. Together, these complementary strategies underscore the potential of CCR5-targeted interventions as integral components of future combination therapies aimed at achieving durable HIV remission or functional cure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in HIV Treatment, Prevention, and Cure Interventions)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop