Chronic HIV and systemic autoimmune diseases: cellular and molecular determinants as therapeutic targets

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About this Research Topic

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Background

Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has decreased HIV infection-caused mortality by 61% since its peak in 2004, and increased the average life expectancy of the people living with HIV (PLWH). Despite the success of cART in suppressing viral replication, transforming HIV infection from a deadly disease into a controllable chronic disease, the residual HIV reservoirs serving as the persistent pathogen associated molecular patterns are associated with immune abnormalities, such as sub-optimal immune responses, chronic inflammation and age-associated noncommunicable comorbidities, which are shared by systemic autoimmune diseases. To cure HIV infection, we first need to maximally kill the HIV reservoir cells, and more importantly we need to normalize the immune functions by targeting the cellular and molecular determinants in the context of chronic infection to contain or eradicate HIV.

The human autoimmune diseases are often associated with continuous release of damage associated molecular patterns, similar to chronic infectious diseases. For instance, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) shares several key features with HIV chronic infection, including chronic inflammatory response, type I interferon response, immune activation as well as active cell stress and death. Coincidently, SLE patients are at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), which also occurs at a disproportionately higher rate in PLWH compared to HIV-negative individuals. Therefore, understanding the cellular and molecular mechanism of systemic autoimmune diseases, which shared by HIV diseases, will likely benefit HIV cure approach development, or vice versa.

This research topic will provide a comprehensive overview of the advancement in the cellular and molecular mechanisms of immune abnormality in the context of HIV chronic infection and autoimmune diseases and the relevant therapeutics targeting on those mechanisms. The themes addressed by this Research Topic will include the following aspects:

• Clinical or pre-clinical studies, based on approaches on the cellular or molecular level, for a sterilizing cure or functional cure of HIV infection.

• Clinical or pre-clinical studies, adopted approaches on the cellular or molecular level, for a cure of human systemic autoimmune disease.

• Clinical or pre-clinical studies on treatment of age-associated non-communicable comorbidities during chronic HIV infection or systemic autoimmune disease.

• Mediators of inflammation as targets for the treatment of systemic autoimmune diseases, HIV diseases as well as comorbidities in these chronic inflammatory diseases.

• In vitro and in vivo studies for mapping pathways or cellular therapeutic targets related to HIV reservoir maintenance, HIV gene quiescence/activation, immune dysfunction as well as persistent inflammation in chronic HIV infection and systemic autoimmune diseases.

We welcome the submission of Original Research, Reviews, Mini-reviews and Perspective articles.

Keywords: Chronic HIV, systemic autoimmune diseases, molecular therapeutics, cART, Combination antiretroviral therapy, HIV

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