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The southern African region has been heavily affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The Botswana–Harvard laboratory seeks to understand the biology of the HIV-1 virus, and to develop an efficacious vaccine against HIV-1. Particular emphasis has been on HIV-1C, the genetic subtype of HIV-1 most common in southern Africa; and the virus that has spread most successfully in the world. More than 50 different isolates of the HIV-1C virus have been isolated from different regions in Botswana and researchers have characterized their molecular and biologic traits. Each virus has been completely decoded to provide critical information for drug efficacy and vaccine design. A representative infectious molecular clone has been generated and biologically characterized, and researchers are using this clone for detailed molecular studies of HIV-1C biology. An infectious chimeric virus that can be used to infect monkeys has also been developed using genetic fragments of HIV-1C from Botswana. This chimeric virus may facilitate vaccine and pathogenesis studies of HIV-1C in monkeys. Understanding how the virus behaves biologically is important in designing novel approaches that may be used against the virus. After the HIV-1B virus in the U.S. and Europe, more information is known about the HIV-1C virus in Botswana than for any other HIV subtype in any other country. This information will be useful for vaccine development. |
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