11.1.5 Direct Antiviral transgene

The other approach to gene therapy for AIDS is to transduce cells with transgenes that are directly antiviral. This involves obtaining an HIV mutant of a specific gene essential for viral replication, therefore inhibiting the function of the wild-type gene products. One of these mutants is the HIV regulatory protein rev that interferes with the function of the normal rev molecules. The rev is essential for HIV replication. Therefore, the mutant produced will inhibit HIV replication (Liu , et al 1994).

A non-viral delivery system such as injecting DNA gold-coated particles for some mutants of the rev gene has also been explored (Woffendin, 1994). This approach has the advantage of the retroviral vector systems i.e. causing the disease and it only infects the dividing cells.