HIV-1 Latency: Regulation and Reversal

Dear Colleagues,

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) establishes a persistent infection, resulting in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) if left untreated. Around 37 million people in the world live with HIV-1 with a global HIV-1 prevalence of 0.8% among adults. Combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) has saved millions of lives, as it suppresses HIV-1 replication, blocks transmission, and improves immune responses, preventing the development of AIDS. However, ART has to be taken lifelong, is prone to side-effects, and is unable to eradicate the virus. On top of that, 40% of HIV-infected people in the world still do not have access to ART. Therefore, HIV-1 cure research has flourished in recent years, inspired by an apparent cure in a single individual.

By establishing latent infection, HIV-1 forms long-lived reservoirs in infected individuals that persist despite decades of suppressive ART and are considered the main obstacle to an HIV-1 cure. Depleting the reservoirs is therefore the principal goal of HIV-1 curative strategies. So far, the concept behind most such strategies has been the reversal of HIV-1 latency with specific compounds, which was expected to result in the switch to productive infection, with subsequent elimination of infected cells by immune-mediated clearance and/or viral cytopathic effects. However, this approach has so far demonstrated limited success in clinical trials, mainly attributed to insufficient understanding of HIV-1 latency, which prevents the development of efficient therapeutic strategies for eradication of the reservoirs. Therefore, we need to accumulate much more knowledge about the regulation of HIV-1 latency before we can design a meaningful therapeutic intervention.

In this Special Issue, we seek reviews and original research articles that discuss the latest developments in the establishment and regulation of HIV-1 latency, as well as efficient strategies for its reversal and elimination of latently infected cells.

Prof. Dr. Ben Berkhout
Dr. Alexander Pasternak
Dr. Angela Ciuffi
Guest Editors

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