Russian scientists progress gene therapy for HIV infection

Specialists of the V.A. Engelgardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Vector Main Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology have created and tested in cell culture three genetic constructs they say are capable of suppressing reproduction of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) in human cells.

Current drug treatments for repressing HIV act predominantly on key HIV-1 enzymes - reverse transcriptase, invertase and protease. While they have been very successful in preventing HIV infection developing into AIDS, HIV mutates quickly and acquires drug resistance. Furthermore the drugs have side effects and very expensive.

The Russian scientists have used RNA interference (RNAi) constructs to ‘turn off’ HIV genes in cell culture. The target sequences are essential for HIV to replicate, which is expected to mean that it will not be easy for the virus to develop resistance.

The extent of damage to viral RNA depends on the viral dose received by the cell itself and on the RNAi sequence that is inserted. A sequence targeted at the reverse transcriptase area of viral genome turned out to be the most efficient, being capable of suppressing the viral production in the cells by 91 to 98 percent within three days.

The researchers say their research opens the way to gene therapy to be used to contain HIV infections. At present, the researchers are continuing to create other RNAi constructs.