Can microRNAs be used to inhibit HIV replication?

Human immune deficiency virus (HIV) infection results in approximately 1 million deaths annually. HIV has a high mutation rate, which can result in resistance to currently available therapies; hence the need to development additional therapies. MicroRNAs are small molecules that play a role in gene regulation and it has been proposed that microRNAs could be utilized as therapies for a range of conditions. The aim of this proposed study is to design microRNA molecules that could inhibit HIV replication. These would be generated within the laboratory and inserted into cells infected with HIV to measure their effect on HIV replication.