HIV Reservoirs Task Force: Commitment, Strategies, Workhop, for an International Society without AIDS
As we are particularly committed in building a task force against HIV reservoirs, we call for a global collaboration and a stronger commitment of public and private investors in the battle for HIV eradication. Life-long HAART will not be economically sustainable, even in developed countries: a decisive action has to ben taken right now.
Toulon, IL, January 10, 2011 -- Committed to an international society free of AIDS we understand that we have to tackle HIV reservoirs with innovation, originality, rationale and creativity.
Eradication of HIV-1 latency needs a prolonged scientific pledge to understanding the molecular mechanism of HIV persistence, to safe and effective drug discovery, to rational design of therapeutic approaches, and to testing in adequate models before clinical applications. Involvement of governmental agencies, research agencies, funding groups and pharmaceutical companies at their highest level is vital to build an effective task force against HIV reservoirs.
We now need new strategies, which not only target viral replication and HIV in its sanctuary sites, but also deplete proviral infection and allow the clearance of persistently HIV-infected cells.
The advent of antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and the chronic suppression of plasma viremia have been major medical successes, increasing survival and improving quality of life. However, once infection is established, it cannot be cleared by current HAART. Persistent proviral infection in a small pool of latently infected cells is insensitive to HAART, not detected by immune surveillance, and provides a long-lived source of viremia each time adherence is not strict.
HIV latency is a dynamic state and major progress has been made in the last 2 years to better characterize and describe factors involved in the restriction of HIV expression. This can already lead to translational research and pilot studies with several compounds capable to disrupt HIV latency. Histone deacetylase inhibitors, like SAHA, together with drugs able to activate P-TEFb, like HMBA, or induce the Proteine Kinase C signaling pathway, like Prostratin, are almost ready for clinical testing. A combination or sequential administration of these drugs could be the best approach to purge the latent HIV reservoir. An immunologic supplement will probably also be needed in order to either inhibit survival of memory cells following homeostatic proliferation, or reinforce the immune control of a very tiny persistent residual reservoir.
With the organization of the International Workshop on HIV Persistence and Reservoirs every 2-year since 2003, we are particularly committed in building this task force against HIV reservoirs. Now, we call for a global collaboration and a stronger commitment of public and private investors in the battle for HIV eradication. Life-long HAART will not be economically sustainable, even in developed countries: a decisive action has to ben taken right now.
About AVPS : HIV Reservoirs Workshop, http://www.hiv-workshop.com
Contact:
Cloe Leroy
AVPS
1208 Col. Picot
Toulon, IL
494 6121 31
lafeuillade@orange.fr
http://www.hiv-workshop.com
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