Structure and function of the HIV-1 RNA genome
The Laboratory of Experimental Virology performs research on HIV and other human viruses to provide a better understanding of the viral replication cycle.
This basic molecular knowledge, with a particular focus on RNA-mediated mechanisms, is then used in the design of novel antiviral strategies. For instance, we developed novel RNAi-based antivirals and described how viruses can escape and we currently run a similar program using CRISPR-Cas to develop a cure for HIV. We also have a particular interest in virus evolution and drug-resistance mechanisms and recently proposed a novel mechanism for Dolutegravir resistance.
Research team
Ben Berkhout, PhD Professor of Human Retrovirology
Ben Berkhout was trained as molecular biologist and obtained his PhD in 1986 at the University of Leiden. After 5 year of postdoc research abroad (Harvard Medical School and NIH) he joined the University of Amsterdam. He is member of many international science committees and editorial boards. His research interests include basic RNA studies (structure and function of HIV-1 RNA) and applied research (RNAi-based gene therapy for HIV-AIDS, novel gene expression switches and live-attenuated vaccine designs). He closely interacts with Elena Herrera-Carrillo for optimization of lentiviral vector systems for gene therapy applications and Atze Das on diverse molecular virology projects.
- Philip Adams Postdoc researcher who teams up with Alexander Pasternak to study the HIV reservoir.
- Formijn van Hemert Long-term associate for in silico analyses of viral genome sequences.
- Tonja van der Kuyl Long-term associate for virology teaching and the study of endogenous retroviruses.
- Alexander Pasternak Research Associate, specializes in development of novel assays to dissect the HIV reservoir.
- Yme van der Velden Staff member who facilitates, among other things, animal experiments
- Monique Vink Research technician in the field of molecular virology
Identification of a non-canonical Dicer-independent shRNA processing pathway, Regulated expression of the SIV Rev and Env proteins via translational control, Description of HIV-1 latency in activated T cells, Natural way to purge the HIV reservoir by dendritic cells, Biosynthesis and precise mapping of the TAR-encoded HIV-1 miRNA, Combinatorial CRISPR-Cas as antiviral approach, New HIV-1 mutational mechanism via NHEJ DNA repair, First description of dual promoter activity (Pol III and II) of the H1 promoter, Proposed unspliced cell-associated HIV RNA as predictor of post-treatment virus control, Confirmation of the HIV reservoir in CD32a+ T cells.
We recently were awarded two NIH grants, one as the main applicant. Berkhout published some 700+ papers, several in general top journals like Nature, Science and Cell and many in specialty top journals like Journal of Virology (64x) and Nucleic Acids Research (45x) and he his work received more than 26.000 citations, resulting in an H-index of 75.