Specimen Repository and Virology

病毒学核心C是国内临床核心B的标本处理、储存和分发计划项目的中心点(图1)。科学上，它致力于定义和剖析HIV-1水平、耐药状态以及在本计划中登记和遵循的参与者中HIV的解剖位置。 这一核心对其他核心和项目至关重要，并与之紧密结合。在从诊所送货后，样本被存储在储存库中，可以被检索并迅速发送给请求者。病毒载量结果被发送到管理核心A和临床核心B。目前，该储存库占用了5-80个冰柜和4个液氮储罐。虽然现有空间可以处理额外的 除了血浆样本，还需要另一个液氮储罐来存储将要采集的新细胞样本。 在过去5年中，我们工作的重点主要是确定在抗逆转录病毒治疗过程中HIV-1持续存在的部位和机制。我们首次证明T细胞中的病毒潜伏期是在感染后早期建立的，也是最早证明这一点的小组之一。 在HAART过程中，持续的低级病毒复制仅限于特定的细胞类型。了解哪些因素影响HIV-1复制的持续性是我们实验室一直强调的重点。该计划的许多具体目标是针对影响HIV-1动态的病毒学和免疫学因素。因此，我们花费了大量时间开发定量、可重复性和灵敏的分析方法，可以在病毒周期的不同阶段以及在各种组织和细胞类型中检测HIV-1。

Virology Core C is the central point of the Program Project for specimen handling, storage and distribution from the domestic Clinical Core B (Figure 1). Scientifically, it is devoted to definition and dissection of HIV-1 levels, resistance states and the anatomic locations of HIV among participants enrolled and followed in this Program. This core is essential to and tightly integrated with the other cores and projects. After delivery from the clinic the samples are stored in the repository and can be retrieved and routed to the requestor quickly. Viral load results are sent to Admin Core A and Clinical Core B. Currently, the repository occupies five -80 freezers and four LN2 tanks. While existing space can handle additional plasma samples, another LN2 tank is required to store new cell samples that will be collected. Much of the emphasis of our work over the last 5 years has been to define sites and mechanisms of HIV-1 persistence during the course of antiretroviral therapy. We were first to show that viral latency in T cells is established early after infection^ and one of the first groups to demonstrate that continued low-grade virus replication is confined to specific cell types during the course of HAART^'. Understanding what factors influence persistence of HIV-1 replication is an ongoing emphasis of our laboratories"'^. Many of the specific aims in this program are directed at virological and immunological factors that influence HIV-1 dynamics. As such, we have spent considerable time developing quantitative, reproducible, and sensitive assays that can measure HIV-1 at different stages of the virus cycle and in a variety of tissues and cell types.