The finding from that project, originally reported in Nature, showed that genotype 1 hepatitis C patients carrying certain genetic variant alleles near the IL28B gene are more possibly to achieve sustained virological response after the treatment of Pegylated interferon-alpha-2a or Pegylated interferon-alpha-2b ( brand names Pegasys or PEG-Intron ) combined with ribavirin.
42.
Factors that may theoretically explain the rate differences include different patterns of sexual activity; the frequency of other sexually transmitted diseases, especially those that break the skin; the presence of other infections like malaria or tuberculosis that can increase the amount of HIV in the blood; differences in circumcision frequency; virological differences in the strains of AIDS; other behavior differences; and policy differences, like reducing the stigma of AIDS and promoting education on safe sex.
43.
The Division supports a large portfolio of investigator-initiated grants that are pursuing research focused on, but not limited to, the following areas : mechanisms of viral entry and infection, including the role of co-receptors and other cellular accessory molecules; the structure, function, and mechanism of action of viral genes and proteins; development of " in vitro " and " ex vivo " assays to monitor virus growth and immune responses against HIV, and animal models for research on the regulation and function of viral proteins and genetic regulatory sequences; the immunological and virological events controlling primary infection; factors affecting latent reservoirs of HIV; and host factors that modulate viral infection and / or disease progression.
