Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

The team has developed ground-breaking research on HIV, based on the study of envelope primary isolates rather than laboratory adapted viral strains.  The specific properties of these primary strains, undoubtedly closer to biological reality, motivate the re-evaluation of intracellular HIV envelope protein trafficking and its impact on viral morphogenesis.

Furthermore, the team focuses on the evolution of these primary strains when submitted to immune pressure of the host during infection. These studies have permitted to confirm the appearance over time of a glycan shield, allowing the virus to escape from the immune system. This model is used to study the nature and the evolution of neutralizing epitopes in subjects who had developed a large spectrum of neutralizing responses. In recent studies, the team has shown that this evolution measured over several decades could constitute a major handicap in the conception of a universal preventive vaccine.
In collaboration with Thai researchers, the team also studies the protective role of neutralizing antibodies regarding mother-to-child transmission. 

• A presentation of U966 research areas 
  
• Topics developped around HCV