The main research interest is primarily on the molecular biology of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). The goal is to increase the knowledge of how the virus replicates in order to support drug development. This virus is studied by a number of different strategies including comparing HIV replication with other lentiviruses. The work is conducted by strong interactions with research groups in Norway and abroad.

It is now 24 years since AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) was first described in a publication from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in the US. The epidemic caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is far greater today than what was predicted a decade ago. Almost 25 million people have died from AIDS and more than 30 millions are currently living with HIV. Each day 18000 new infections occur according to WHO which is monitoring the epidemic on worldwide bases.

Existing therapies have shown some promising results in delaying the most severe effects caused by the virus, but these therapies are only available to a small fraction of those living with HIV. The current therapies have their limitations since they are highly toxic and expensive. Also the drugs in use today are unable to purge the body of the virus and often rapid rebound of plasma viraemia is observed.

Development of an effective vaccine against HIV infections remains a pressing challenge. However, how this can be achieved is still today an open question since the last report spring 2003 from a large vaccine trial in humans showed no effect in preventing infections.

Since so little of the pathogenesis of the virus is understood and infection is not neutralized by the strong immune response following the first infection by the virus in addition to the fact that not only neutralizing antibodies but also enhancing antibodies are being produced following infection some scientists are skeptical toward a successful development of an effective preventive or even a therapeutic vaccine.

In addition to research on vaccines, development of new antiviral drugs reducing development of full blown AIDS following HIV infection has to be a top priority for the scientific community and for the supporting and funding agencies.
Development of new drugs requires strong interactions between academic researchers and pharmaceutical industry. The academic research will be laying the theoretical framework for further drug developments.

The aim of this research group in Bergen is to contribute to the enhancement of such a theoretical framework by using the knowledge and research interest in studying functional aspects of the HIV-1 gene products in particular and also by comparing these with gene products from other lentiviruses. As discussed below this will be achieved by a number of different approaches and by conducting the research in collaboration with strong international groups and institutions.

Although the AIDS epidemic is mainly a serious problem in Africa and Asia it represents also a general and serious public health issue for the industrialized countries since HIV infections affect immunization programs.
The multivalent pneumococcal vaccine is ineffective in Africans infected with HIV and live attenuated vaccines such as vaccinia, measles and oral polioviruses may become dangerous pathogens when administered to immune suppressed persons. Furthermore, HIV can convert acute infections into a persistent infection allowing new variants of the infectious agent (e.g. influenza) to develop. HIV positive individuals can also act as evolutionary incubators for microbes like canine Toxoplasma or other microbes that normally depend on an animal reservoir allowing development of new human pathogens. Especially is this a risk when these patients are being treated insufficiently for their opportunistic infections by different antibiotics!

HIV is also an ideal organism for studying functional genomics and proteomics. With all different mutants or variants of HIV or the other lentiviruses identified with nearly the same replication fitness science have a ready-made maximal mutagenesis system at its hands.