title: A mechanistic theory to explain the efficacy of antiretroviral therapy.
abstract: In the early years of the AIDS epidemic, a diagnosis of HIV-1 infection was equivalent to a death sentence. The development of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in the 1990s to combat HIV-1 infection was one of the most impressive achievements of medical science. Today, patients who are treated early with cART can expect a near-normal lifespan. In this Opinion article, we propose a fundamental theory to explain the mechanistic basis of cART and why it works so well, including a model to assess and predict the efficacy of antiretroviral drugs alone or in combination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Laskey
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA. [2] Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baltimore, Maryland 21250, USA.
authors.forename: Robert F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Siliciano
mesh_terms: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active / Q000592:standards*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004347:Drug Interactions; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014766:Viremia / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents