HIV RESERVOIRS WORKSHOP

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a virus which causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). It has always been one of the harshest threats to human lives and a fatal disease which is still in limelight to scientists and medical researchers around the world. Despite major advancement in Science and Technology in recent times, the disease is still incurable even though it was discovered quite a while ago.

Thus around the globe, people are joining hands together to raise awareness towards HIV and AIDS and International Aids Society (AIS) is always a step ahead helping our planet eradicate this disease from the root through workshops and seminars especially regarding HIV reservoirs. What makes HIV particularly dangerous is that in some cells in human body it can last for years thus transmitting it to generations yet to come. The seminars are excellent platforms where control strategies as well as the latest innovations and achievements related to HIV and AIDS are discussed.

HIV has always been a concern but considering the circumstances it can lead to, HIV Reservoir is the actual matter of concern as it can affect generations and a person whose family member is victimized can also be the victim after decades without coming in contact to the virus or performing any activities that can cause HIV. For this exact reason IAS has expanded it's wing as HIV AIDS Reservoirs International Society, which focuses mainly on planning and working on HIV Reservoirs. NIH (American National Institute of Health) and the ANRS (French Agency for AIDS Research) have also supported IAS institutionally.

IAS, actively working on this issue of HIV Reservoirs, is organizing HIV Reservoirs Workshops mainly focusing on drug development, identifying the hot locations for HIV Reservoir in the human body and raising awareness towards the control of HIV and AIDS ahead of HIV Reservoirs IAS seminar. The upcoming HIV Reservoirs Workshop will be held in December 2011 in Saint Martin.


Though AIDS is fatal, through continuous research and dedication by scientists, numerous varieties of drugs have been discovered which have helped the victims expand their lifespan. But unfortunately most of them are out of reach of the common people. Also no cure has been found to completely eradicate HIV once it gets inside the human body. Let us hope that with the combined effort of the society and the scientists, this menace can someday be defeated.

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Struggling for an international society free of AIDS we understand that we have to tackle HIVpersistence in HIV reservoirs with innovation, originality, rationale and creativity.
Eradication of HIV-1 latency requires a prolonged scientific commitment to understanding the molecular mechanism of persistence, to safe and effective drug discovery, to rational design of therapeutic approaches, and to testing in adequate models before clinical application. Involvement of governmental agencies, research agencies, funding societies, pharmaceutical companies at the higher level is fundamental to build an effective task force against HIV reservoirs.


We now need Pharmacologic strategies, which not only target viral replication but also deplete proviral infection and allow the clearance of persistently infected cells. The advent of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and the chronic suppression of HIV replication have been major medical successes, greatly increasing survival and improving quality of life. Successful ART results in clinically undetectable levels of plasma viremia (<50 copies/ml), allowing immune reconstitution. However, once infection is established, it cannot be cleared by current ART. Persistent proviral infection in a small pool of latently infected cells is insensitive to ART, is not detected by immune surveillance, and provides a long-lived source of rebound viremia: the "reservoir" of HIV infection.
HIV latency is a dynamic state and major progress has been made in the last 2 years to characterize and describe the factors involved in the restriction of HIV expression. This can already lead to translational research 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 evaluation. A combination or sequential administration of these drugs could be the best approach to purge the latent HIV reservoir. An immunologic complement will probably also be necessary in order
to either inhibit survival of memory cells following homeostatic proliferation, or reinforce the immune control of a tiny persistent 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. The IAS reservoirs workshop in July 2010 in Vienna was an additional weapon against HIV reservoirs; we now are all focused on the next Saint Martin HIV reservoirs Workshop at the end of 2011.

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Finding a cure for HIV infection requires stopping ongoing viral replication, identifying all HIV reservoirs in which non-replicating latent HIV persists and eradicating or controlling them without the need of continued anti-retroviral therapy. New strategies to tackle persistent HIV in reservoirs and achieve a functional cure are urgently needed for a society and a world free of AIDS. Advances have recently been made in each of these areas.

Towards an HIV cure
Since the HIV virus was first discovered, researchers have been working on new and innovative HIV eradication therapies in the hope of finding a HIV cure. At present, despite antiretroviral therapies, HIV reservoirs of latent infected cells still remain in infected individuals. Because of this HIV persistence, life-long antiviral therapy is currently required to control HIV, but the ultimate aim is to achieve long-term drug-free remission in those who have been infected and to develop a HIV prophylactic vaccine for those who have not.
HIV Persistence in Reservoirs
Despite highly active antiviral therapies (HAART), HIV research have observed life-long HIV persistence due to the establishment early on of a stable HIV reservoir pool of latently infected cells. The latent HIV reservoir of cells is established from the earliest point of infection and although the number of latent cells can be reduced if HAART is initiated early on, studies have shown that complete HIV eradication could take many decades under conditions of perfect viral suppression.
HIV Reservoirs Purge
As a result of this, the latest research is working on combining HAART with "purging" regimes designed to force the viral expression of latent cells to aid in their destruction via virus or immune mediated mechanisms. Several studies have already shown that initiating HAART during acute HIV infection limits the frequency of the latent HIV reservoir and reduces HIV persistence while preserving HIV specific T cell responses.
HIV Reservoirs Control
At present, hopes of achieving a complete HIV cure whereby all HIV positive cells are eradicated from the system of an infected individual receiving HAART is somewhat remote. Instead, research efforts are being poured into achieving a functional cure to limit the size of the HIV reservoir of latent cells and reduce the amount of damage inflicted on the immune system since the early stages of HIV infection.

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Despite effective antiretroviral therapy, HIV persists in long-term latent reservoirs, making the hope for a cure as pipe dreams.

In 2003, together with Professors Robert Gallo from Baltimore, USA, Roger Pomerantz from Philadelphia, USA and Mario Stevenson from Worcester, USA, Jose Gatell from Barcelona, Spain we launched the First Workshop on HIV Persistence, HIV Reservoirs and Eradication Strategies. This workshop was a blast and scientists actively discussed their findings and the ways research has to be done. The group was then actively joined by renowned scientists like Davis Margolis from Chapel Hill, USA, Andrea Savarino from Rome, Italy, Marie-Lise Gougeon from Paris, France.

Now, we are committed to understanding the mechanisms of HIV persistence in treated individuals and finding a 'sterilizing cure' or at least a 'functional cure' within the next decade.
The next workshop will be held December 6-11, 2011 in Saint Martin. Between 2 workshops, the group will join hands in order to boost research on these topics. In that way, we have recently launched a Web Portal to strengthen the link between worldwide researchers in the field. This website offers news, articles, discussions, and a 'reservoir blog'.
Several meetings are now offering a session or lecture on 'HIV Reservoirs and Eradication' because it is trendy, but there is no doubt that the Saint Martin workshop stands out as the only workshop with cutting edge science.

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