Scarlette Abbou, an engineer at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), explained her lab’s work in this field: “CD4 T-cells – among others – act as reservoirs for HIV, and are established during the earliest stage of infection. These latent reservoirs are able to survive antiretroviral therapy (ART), which allows infected cells to become reactivated and produce HIV after treatment is halted, or if resistance develops. Our team is looking at all the factors that contribute to the survival of the virus in these circumstances, which is really important for the advancement of new treatments.”
“Our cohort consists of around a dozen patients, and screening multiple samples for each individual is a lot of work. We receive blood samples and extract both the CD4 T-cells and genomic DNA from the host, followed by analysis via PCR, gel electrophoresis and sequencing. We often prepare up to 20 PCR plates ...
