$2 Million Grant Funds Human Immunodeficiency Virus Latency Research
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry nearly $2 million to study human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) latency,
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry nearly $2 million to study human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) latency, a condition in which the virus lies dormant in T cells. Led by David N. Levy, PhD, an associate professor of basic science and craniofacial biology at NYU College of Dentistry, researchers will study the regulation of HIV-1 associated chromatin (the substance within a chromosome containing DNA and protein) and the processes that lead to reversible latency and irreversible repression. It is hoped the study will lead to the development of effective treatment.
Additionally, Levy’s team will investigate the influence of the viral protein Vpr on these processes. His past work found that HIV-1 Vpr can reactivate latent HIV, and his recent work shows that Vpr influences the structure of HIV-1 chromatin that triggers the shift between active replication and latency.
Featured image by NIAID – HIV-INFECTED T CELL, CC BY 2.0, HTTPS:/ / COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG/ W/ INDEX.PHP?CURID=33311447
From Decisions in Dentistry. May 2019;5(5):8.
