title: RNA-interference-based gene therapy approaches to HIV type-1 treatment: tackling the hurdles from bench to bedside.
abstract: RNA interference (RNAi) is a cellular mechanism that can be induced by small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to mediate sequence-specific gene silencing by cleavage of the targeted messenger RNA. RNAi can be used as an antiviral approach to silence HIV type-1 (HIV-1) through stable expression of precursors, such as short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs), which are processed into siRNAs that can elicit degradation of HIV-1 RNAs. At the beginning of 2008, the first clinical trial using a lentivirus with an RNA-based gene therapy against HIV-1 was initiated. The antiviral molecules in this gene therapy consist of three RNA effectors, one of which triggers the RNAi pathway. This review article focuses on the basic principles of an RNAi-based gene therapy against HIV-1, including delivery methods, target selection, viral escape possibilities, systems for multiplexing siRNAs to achieve a durable therapy and the in vitro and in vivo test systems to evaluate the efficacy and safety of such a therapy.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Center for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Karin J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: von Eije
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Berkhout
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000235:genetics; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D034622:RNA Interference; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical
chemical_list: D034741:RNA, Small Interfering