title: Modeling defective interfering virus therapy for AIDS: conditions for DIV survival.
abstract: The administration of a genetically engineered defective interfering virus (DIV) that interferes with HIV-1 replication has been proposed as a therapy for HIV-1 infection and AIDS. The proposed interfering virus, which is designed to superinfect HIV-1 infected cells, carries ribozymes that cleave conserved regions in HIV-1 RNA that code for the viral envelope protein. Thus DIV infection of HIV-1 infected cells should reduce or eliminate viral production by these cells. The success of this therapeutic strategy will depend both on the intercellular interaction of DIV and HIV-1, and on the overall dynamics of virus and T cells in the body. To study these dynamical issues, we have constructed a mathematical model of the interaction of HIV-1, DIV, and CD4+ cells in vivo. The results of both mathematical analysis and numerical simulation indicate that survival of the engineered DIV purely on a peripheral blood HIV-1 infection is unlikely. However, analytical results indicate that DIV might well survive on HIV-1 infected CD4+ cells in lymphoid organs such as lymph nodes and spleen, or on other HIV-1 infected cells in these organs.
authors.affiliation: Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico 87545.
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Perelson
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000821:virology; D003673:Defective Viruses / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008433:Mathematics; D008954:Models, Biological; D014779:Virus Replication