New tools for quantifying HIV-1 reservoirs: plasma RNA single copy assays and beyond.
Quantification of plasma HIV-1 RNA below the limit of FDA-approved assays by a single copy quantitative PCR assays (SCA) has provided significant insights into HIV-1 persistence despite potent antiretroviral therapy as well as a means to assess the impact of therapeutic strategies, such as treatment intensification, on residual viremia. In this review, we discuss insights gained from plasma HIV-1 RNA SCA and highlight the need for additional assays to characterize better the cellular and tissue reservoirs of HIV-1. Accurate, reproducible, and sensitive assays to quantify HIV-1 reservoirs, before and after therapeutic interventions, are essential tools in the quest for a cure of HIV-1 infection.
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
Benedict B
BB
Hilldorfer
Anthony R
AR
Cillo
Guillaume J
GJ
Besson
Margaret Anne
MA
Bedison
John W
JW
Mellors
D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000821:virology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014766:Viremia / Q000821:virology
D012367:RNA, Viral