HIVepsilon-seq—scalable characterization of intact persistent proviral HIV reservoirs in women
IMPORTANCE: The lack of a reliable method to accurately detect when replication-competent HIV has been cleared is a major challenge in developing a cure. This study introduces a new approach called the HIVepsilon-seq (HIVε-seq) assay, which uses long-read sequencing technology and bioinformatics to scrutinize the HIV genome at the nucleotide level, distinguishing between defective and intact HIV. This study included 30 participants on antiretroviral therapy, including 17 women, and was able to discriminate between defective and genetically intact viruses at the single DNA strand level. The HIVε-seq assay is an improvement over previous methods, as it requires minimal sample, less specialized lab equipment, and offers a shorter turnaround time. The HIVε-seq assay offers a promising new tool for researchers to measure the intact HIV reservoir, advancing efforts towards finding a cure for this devastating disease.
Authors
- Jillian M. Hammond (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4045-4571)
- Shane D. Falcinelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3554-226X)
- Kirston Barton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0410-4849)
- David M. Margolis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5714-0002)
- Jennifer Kirchherr (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3559-7356)
- Shaun Carswell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3574-5032)
- Nancie M. Archin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7938-0389)
- Adaora A. Adimora (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5035-1552)
- Cynthia L. Gay (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3620-3059)
- James M. Ferguson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6192-6937)
- Catalina Ramirez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0872-0307)
- Katherine S. James (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5854-8787)
- Martin A. Smith (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2259-1713)
- Ira W. Deveson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3861-0472)
- Brent Bevear
Institutions
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- UNC Libraries
- Published
- 2025-04-04
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.17615/6259-va71
- Primary Topic
- HIV Research and Treatment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Gilead Sciences
- ViiV Healthcare
- Oxford Nanopore Technologies
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
- National Institute on Aging
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- National Institute of Mental Health
- National Institute on Drug Abuse
- National Cancer Institute
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
- National Institute of Nursing Research
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
- National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
- Center for AIDS Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill