RESEARCH PROJECT IN HIV IMMUNE ESCAPE MUTANTS

The better understanding of viral escape mutants evolution during HIV-1 infection is crucial for the development of an HIV/AIDS vaccine. This research project studies HIV-1 gag, pol, env, nef T helper and CTL predicted epitope sequences isolated from patients at different clinical phases and their relation to specific CD4 and CD8 T cell responses.

Erika Castro, M.D., MSc., Ph.D. Senior Clinical Research Scientist   2004-present: Research Assistant, Division of Immunology and Allergy, CHUV, Lausanne.

2000-2004: Visiting researcher, Institute of Immunology of Central University, Medical School. Caracas, Venezuela. National research fund grant recipient for the project: “Genetic variability of HIV in Venezuela: molecular epidemiology of the infection and detection of strains resistant to anti-retroviral treatment”. 1996-1999: PhD thesis: "Molecular characterization of HIV-1 strains from two geographical regions of Venezuela”. Laboratory of AIDS Molecular Immunology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 1993-1995: M.Sc thesis: "Serological surveillance of HIV Infection among risk groups of Margarita Island, Venezuela". Tropical Medicine Department, Oswaldo Cruz Institute. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Board-certified in Tropical Medicine. 1990-1992: Internship in Internal Medicine, Venezuela. 1989: Diploma of Medicine, Central University of Venezuela. Swiss federal diploma recognition, September 2009.

Selected publications:

• Gaucher D., Therrien R., Kettaf N., Angermann B.R., Boucher G., Filali-Mouhim A., Moser J.M., Mehta R.S., Drake III D.R., Castro E., Akondy R., Rinfret A., Yassine-Diab B., Said E.A., Chouikh Y., Cameron M.J., Clum R., Kelvin D., Somogyi R., Greller L.D., Balderas R.S., Wilkinson P., Pantaleo G., Tartaglia J., Haddad E.K. and Sékaly R.-P. Yellow fever vaccine induces integrated multilineage and polyfunctional immune responses. J. Exp. Med. 2008, 205:3119-3131.
   
• Bouchard M., Masquelier B., Moreno M., Deibis L., Echeverría de Pérez G., Fleury H. and Castro E. HIV type 1 drug resistance among naive patients from Venezuela. AIDS Res. Hum. Retroviruses 2007, 23:482-485.
   
• Castro E., Moreno M., Salmen S., Berrueta L., Deibis L. and Echeverría G. Trends of HIV-1 molecular epidemiology in Venezuela: Introduction of subtype C and Identification of a novel B/C mosaic genome. J. Clin. Virol. 2005, 32:257-258.
   
• Castro E., Moreno M., Deibis L. and Echeverría G. Body compartments follow-up & HIV-1 mosaic genome definition. Current Contents/ Medimond Proceedings ISBN 88-7587-066-7; E710L9254 pages 235-238, 2004. As abstract C11102 in: The XV International AIDS Conference. Bangkok, Thailand, July 2004. [http://www.medscape.com/ejiashome]
   
• Castro E., Echeverría G., Deibis L., González B., Dos Santos A.M., Guimaraes M., Bastos F.I. and Morgado M. Molecular Epidemiology of HIV-1 in Venezuela: High prevalence of HIV-1 Subtype B and Identification of a B/F recombinant infection. J. AIDS 2003, 32:338-344.

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