Gene Therapy for HIV Infection by ‘Intracellular Immunization’ with Antiviral Genes

Gene therapy for HIV infection either aims to eliminate HIV-infected cells or to suppress virus replication by expression of antiviral genes in the major target cells for HIV. Here, the latter approach, which has been termed ‘intracellular immunization’, is described. The elements that are crucial for this strategy to be effective are optimized gene transfer tools and protocols, the careful choice of a target cell for genetic modification, and a highly effective combination of antiviral genes. Only if all these components are integrated into an optimized gene therapeutic process is there a chance for gene therapy to be effective clinically in HIV infection.