Cellules (saines et infectées) de sang de patient infecté par le VIH mises en centrifugeuse

Cell sample (healthy and infected cells) from a blood sample from a patient infected with HIV-1 being placed in a centrifuge to wash away the excess of the antibodies required to label the cells before sorting. The total sample is fractionated before being sent to the sorter (given the high number of cells to start with). These experiments are performed in the P3 laboratory at the Institute of Human Genetics (IGH), where a marker has been identified that makes it possible to differentiate between dormant cells, infected with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), and healthy cells. This discovery will make it possible to isolate and analyse these reservoir cells which, by silently hosting the virus, are responsible for its persistence even in patients receiving antiretroviral treatment, whose viral load is undetectable. It offers new therapeutic strategies for targeting infected cells.