Replication Process Of The HIV Virus

The story of how a virus which was first found in a chimpanzee that shook the world is well known. About 0.6% of the world's population is infected by HIV and the number is spreading fast. Many large organizations including Bill and Melinda Gates foundation are donating huge amounts of money to find a cure. Scientists all over the world are trying hard to find a cure to this mysterious medical condition. However, all efforts till now have failed. If HIV cannot be treated, then what is the medication all about? Read on to find out the goals of HIV treatment.

Goals of HIV-1 Treatment:

The HIV virus cannot be eliminated. However, medical science has found a way to slow down its replication speed. This is a great help for the HIV infected patient because it usually takes between 2 to 10 years for the HIV infection to get converted into AIDS. If this period is prolonged, the life-expectancy increases, giving the patient more time. Also medication is available that ensures that the quality of life does not deteriorate in the process. To better understand the medication and how it can help, we must understand how HIV replicates itself. This will help us figure out how we can slow down the process.

The HIV-1 Life Cycle:

The process assumes that the HIV virus has already entered the body. What happens after that is listed below in simple terms.

• Attachment: The moment the HIV virus enters the body, it needs a host to begin replicating itself. These hosts are generally the (T-cells) which are our body's defense mechanisms. The proteins on the surface of the HIV virus attach to the proteins of the T-cells. There is a class of drugs that slows down this process and they are called Early Inhibitors (EI's)


• Fusion: Once the attachment stage is complete, the virus releases its proteins into the outer layer of the T-cell. When the HIV virus does this, it has united with the T-cell structurally. The class of drugs which slows down this process is called Fusion Inhibitors.


• Release Of Viral RNA: Now, since the HIV has united with the T-cell on the outside, it tries to do the same inside the cell. It dissolves its protein coating and therefore its genetic material (RNA) is exposed to the contents of the T-cell.


• Reverse Transcription: The RNA of the HIV virus is single stranded. It needs some enzymes from the T-cell to create double stranded DNA. There is a class of drugs which blocks the supply of these enzymes to slow down the rate of viral multiplication. These are called Integrase inhibitors.


• Integration: In this stage the newly created DNA of the HIV virus enter into the nucleus of the T-cell. They then integrate with the nucleus and wait for protein building blocks. A class of drugs called NRTI's or nukes slow down the process.


• Separation: Once these building blocks are received by the T-cell (which is now converted into HIV), it separates to form a new HIV virus. This separation process needs an enzyme called protease. Protease inhibitors block the supply of this enzyme, delaying the process.


• Coating: At this stage the immature HIV cell forms a protein coating which will allow it to bond with a different T-cell.


• Separation: Finally the newly formed virus separates to find a new host and replicate the process all over again.

At any given point of time, different cells in the patient's body may be at different stages. Therefore, they have to consume all of the drugs mentioned above or at least many out of them. To make matters simpler, there are now drugs available which can provide all these classes of drugs in a single pill, reducing side effects and inconvenience.

Atripla is a revolutionary pill which allows the HIV infected patient to consume multiple drug classes in one pill. It does not cure HIV infection but slows down the process considerably and also prevents it from spreading.