HIV Immunophatology and Cellular Immunology
Description
Understanding the immunopathogenesis of HIV infection is crucial for understanding the mechanisms involved in the susceptibility/ resistance and the progression of the HIV disease. Moreover, the functional complexity of the HIV-specific immune response and the lack of an unique and reliable correlate of protection in front of the infection or the disease progression constitute serious obstacles for the development of an effective vaccine. Nowadays, there is strong evidences supporting the hyphotesis that an immune response against HIV-1, both helper (CD4 o Th) and cytotoxic (CD8 o CTL), eficient and maintained over time, are of major relevance for allowing the control of viral replication. To enhance and optimize this heterogeneous response is therefore a fundamental tool to control infection and improve the prognosis of HIV-infected patients.
Research topics of interest and ongoing projects
- Study and evaluation of the immune response elicited by future candidates for preventative and therapeutic HIV vaccines in development.
- Ex vivo characterization of the cellular immune response against HIV-1 using defective viral vectors.
- Study of mechanisms implicated in the immune activation in HIV-infected patients
- Analysis of mucosal immunity in preventative and therapeutic strategies
- Role of microRNAS on the regulation of efficient immune response in HIV-1-infected individuals who control infection without antiretroviral treatment.
- Prospective study aleatorized, open and multicentric: Antiretroviral treatment once a day in naïve HIV-infected patients with CD4+ cell counts below 100 céls/mm3.
- Effect of CCR5 inhibitors on human T cell homeostasis (in vitro studies and participation in DIS-MVC clinical trial).
- Immunologic follow-up of pathogenic groups of interest: primoinfected HIV patients, LTNP, controllers, exposed uninfected.