HIV Replication Capacity and Treatment Outcomes

Using a unique standardized assay, investigators demonstrated an inverse relation between polymerase replication capacity and CD4-cell response to antiretroviral therapy.

Replication capacity (RC) refers to the intrinsic ability of a virus to replicate in vitro; it can be measured using a standardized assay (PhenoSense HIV; Monogram Biosciences, Inc.). This assay amplifies the polymerase (pol) gene from plasma HIV-1 and inserts it into a wild-type virus backbone; HIV pol RC is then reported as a percentage, relative to the RC of the wild-type virus reference strains. Previous studies using this assay have shown that lower pol RC is associated with better outcomes in natural-history cohorts and with increasing drug resistance and attenuated CD4-cell decline in patients on stable but failing antiretroviral regimens.

In the present study, investigators (including several employees of the assay manufacturer) retr…

Reviewing Author

Eric S. Daar, MD

HIV Replication Capacity and Treatment Outcomes

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Reviewing Author