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Professor
Department of Medicine
2016 Genetic Medicine Bldg

Research

Persistent, latent HIV infection and cure strategies

The UNC HIV Cure Center, directed by David Margolis, MD is focused on finding a cure for HIV/AIDS. We are working closely with academic and industry partners to achieve this goal. HIV eradication is a complex health challenge due to the long-lived persistence of the virus in the body, which hides in latently infected cells that are able to escape the body’s immune system. The HIV Cure Center research portfolio is focused on reactivation of the latent virus combined with clearance strategies to effectively purge the HIV reservoir to effect a cure for HIV.

The HIV Cure Center has been at the forefront of HIV latency reactivation and clearance research for decades and Dr Margolis and his research team are recognized as the world’s experts and have made significant contributions to the field.

Publications

Margolis, DM, Somasundaran, M, Green, MR. Human transcription factor YY1 represses HIV-1 transcription and virion production.  J. Virology 1994; 68:905-910. PMCID: PMC236527.

Archin NM, Liberty AL, Kashuba AD, Choudhary SK, Kuruc JD, Crooks AM, …, Margolis DM. Administration of vorinostat disrupts HIV-1 latency in patients on antiretroviral therapy. Nature. 2012; 487(7408): 482-5. PMCID: PMC3704185

Denton PW, Long JM, Wietgrefe SW, Sykes C, Spagnuolo RA, Snyder O, …, Margolis DM, Garcia JV. Targeted cytotoxic therapy kills persisting HIV infected cells during ART. PLoS Pathog. 2014; 10(1):e1003872. PMID:24415939

Nixon CC, Mavigner M, …, Margolis DM, Dunham RM, Wahl A, Silvestri G, Chahroudi A, Garcia JV. Systemic HIV/SIV latency reversal via activation of the non-canonical NF-B signaling pathway in vivo. Nature 2020; 578(7793):160-165. PMID:3196970

Accomplishments

Honors and Awards:

Magna Cum Laude, Harvard College, 1981
Clinical Associates award, Am. Coll. Phys., 1988
NIH Physician-Scientist award (K-11), 1991-94
Fellow, American College of Physicians, 1996
IDSA young investigator, 1997
Fellow, Infectious Dis. Society of America, 2000
amfAR Basic Science award, 2001
Am. Society for Clinical Investigation, 2005
Nat’l Found. Infect. Dis. young investigator, 1996

Recent National Advisory and Review Committees:

NIAID AACTG Research Agenda Committees 1999-present;
V.A. Merit Review, Infectious Diseases subcommittee (ad hoc) 2000, 2004;
NIH special emphasis panel, Centers for AIDS Research 2001;
NIH AIDS and Related Research Study Sections 1 (ad hoc) 2001; NIAID/NCI Inter-Institute Program for Development of AIDS-related Therapeutics 2003, 2004;
NIAID AIDS Clinical Studies and Epidemiology Study Section (ad hoc) 2003, 2004;
amfAR Scientific Advisory board 2002-present;
NIAID AIDS Research Advisory Committee 2004-2008;
AIDS Clinical Trials Strategic Working Group 2006-2008

Affiliations

School of Medicine
School of Public Health-Dept. of Epidemiology
Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Link to My Bibliography
Program Link