Research Projects
Functional Cure of HIV Infection


Programme(s) to which this project applies:
☒ MPhil/PhD ☑ MRes[Med] ☒ URIS

Objective and Significance:

The objective of a functional cure of HIV infection is to allow patients to cease combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) for a prolonged period of time or even for whole life. The functional cure will not only improve the quality life of infected people but also reduce the chance of secondary viral spreading significantly.

Research Plan and Methodology:

We will investigate biomedical interventions to induce cART-free remission from HIV pathogenesis and disease progression. To achieve the goal, we will discover effective ways to reduce the size of the latent reservoir and the number of target cells available for the virus (e.g., stem cell therapy). Meantime, we will improve host immune responses through immunotherapy and vaccination.

Prof ZW Chen, Department of Microbiology

Professor Zhiwei Chen, Department of Microbiology/ AIDS Institute

Biography
HKU Scholars Hub
Lab
ORCID
zchenai@hku.hk

For more information or to express interest for this project, please email the supervisor or the specified contact point in the project description.  Interested candidates are advised to enclose with your email:

  1. your CV,
  2. a brief description of your research interest and experience, and
  3. two reference letters (not required for HKUMed UG students seeking MRes[Med]/URIS projects).

Information on the research programme, funding support and admission documentations could be referenced online at the Research Postgraduate Admissions website. General admission enquiries should be directed to rpgmed@hku.hk.

HKUMed MBBS students interested in the Master of Research in Medicine (MRes[Med]) programme may visit the programme website for more information.  

HKUMed UG students interested in the Undergraduate Research Internship Scheme (URIS) may visit the scheme’s website for more information. 

Research @ Department of Microbiology