QUANTITATIVE IMAGE ANALYSIS FOR ASSAY OF HIV INFECTION

IN VIEW OF THE SERIOUS NATURE OF THE CURRENT AIDS EPIDEMIC, THERE EXISTS A CONSIDERABLE NEED FOR MORE SENSITIVE AND EFFICIENT METHODS FOR MEASURING THE VIRAL INFECTION. THE LABORATORY OF RETROVIRAL BIOLOGY (LRB) IS CURRENTLY INVOLVEDIN A NUMBER OF STUDIES RELATING TO THE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE IMMUNE RESPONSE AGAINST HIV, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF DRUGS AND VACCINES AGAINST THIS VIRUS. FOR THESE STUDIES, A NEW FLUORESCENT FOCUS ASSAY HAS BEEN DEVELOPED THAT CAN ROUTINELY MEASURE VIRAL ANTIGEN EXPRESSEDIN A SINGLE ROUND OF INFECTION. THIS HAS LED TO A RAPID (24-HOUR) ASSAY FOR QUANTITATING HIV INFECTION, WHICH IS PRESENTLY BEING USED TO MEASURE NEUTRALIZING TITERS OF HUMANSERA, HUMAN AND CHIMP MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES AGAINST THE VIRUS, AND ANTIVIRAL DRUGS. HOWEVER, A MAJOR LIMITATION HASBEEN THE DIFFICULTY IN STANDARDIZING AND AUTOMATING THE DATAACCUMULATION ASPECTS OF THIS ASSAY. IN THIS PROJECT, A COLLABORATION IS PLANNED BETWEEN THE LRB AND CELLVISION, INC., A NEW COMPANY DEVELOPING PRODUCTS IN THE AREA OF IMAGE ANALYSIS, TO DEVELOP AND APPLY EFFICIENT, STATE-OF-THE-ART METHODS TOWARD THE STANDARDIZATION AND AUTOMATION OF THE NEW HIV INFECTIVITY ASSAY. IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT THIS COLLABORATION WILL LEAD TO THE BROAD APPLICATION OF THIS ASSAY TO PROBLEMS OF INTEREST IN THE AREA OF AIDS RESEARCH AND MAY ALSO HAVE BROADER APPLICATIONSIN RELATED AREAS AS WELL.