Optimization of DNA vaccines: molecular strategies to augment immune responses to HIV-1 Tat

Abstract

It has been twenty five years since Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has been identified as the causative agent for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). The pandemic of HIV infection is clearly the defining medical and public health issue of our generation and ranks among the greatest infectious disease scourges in history (Fauci, 2003; Fauci, 1999). Since the time the world first became aware of AIDS, in 1981, the disease has spread in various regions around the globe. More than 60 million people worldwide have been infected with HIV-1, mostly in the developing world, and nearly half of these individuals have died (Barouch, 2008). Everyday around 6,800 persons become infected with HIV and over 5,700 persons die from AIDS mainly because of inadequate access to HIV prevention and treatment services (UNAIDS, 2007). Unfortunately, the catastrophic potential of the AIDS pandemic has not been fully realized. HIV and AIDS continue to exact a good toll through-out the world, and remain a leading cause of mortality worldwide and the primary cause of death in Sub-Saharan Africa. Presently, more accurate estimates of HIV indicate that approximately two and half million (2 million-3. 1 million) people in India are living with HIV. Although the proportion of people living with HIV is lower than previously estimated, India’s epidemics continue to affect large numbers of people (UNAIDS, 2007).