Projects per year
Personal profile
Research interests
During my postdoctoral training in the Academic Medical Center of the University of Amsterdam, I have developed an ultra-sensitive HIV-1 detection assay, based on an innovative semi-nested qPCR of my own design (Pasternak, J Clin Microbiol 2008; Kiselinova, Pasternak, PLoS One 2014). This assay is extremely sensitive and robust, allowing to detect the virus in >90% of patient samples that are undetectable by conventional viral load measurements. This assay allowed us to identify cell-associated HIV RNA as a viral marker that predicts disease progression and therapy response, and we have demonstrated the clinical value of this biomarker in several publications. In particular, we have shown that cell-associated HIV RNA predicts antiretroviral therapy (ART) failure and correlates with subtle changes in patients’ adherence to ART in the absence of virological rebound in plasma (Pasternak, PLoS One 2009; J Infect Dis 2012). This pioneering work opened the door for a wider use of HIV biomarkers for monitoring ART response and studying HIV persistence, and the assays I developed are now used in a number of research laboratories worldwide, including those at the forefront of HIV cure research (Rasmussen, Lancet HIV 2014; Elliott, PLoS Pathogens 2014). More recently, I received two prestigious research grants from the Dutch AIDS Fonds as a Principal Investigator, allowing me to start an independent research group within the department. My current scientific interests are focused on persistence and dynamics of HIV reservoir. The ongoing research projects of my group deal with HIV reservoir and viral diversity in patients treated with ART during primary infection, viral and host factors determining immunological failure on ART, and virological correlates of co-morbidities in HIV-infected patients.
specialisation
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 1 Active
-
Berkhout B.: Virology
Berkhout, B., Cornelissen, M., van der Kuyl, A., van Hemert, F., Herrera Carrillo, E., van Montfort, T., Pasternak, A. O., van der Velden, Y., Vink, M., Zorgdrager, F., Brouwer, P., Gao, Z., van Haaren, M., Del Moral Sanchez, I., Overmars, R., Schorcht, A., Steba, G., de Taeye, S., Torrents de la Pena, A., Wang, G. & Klaver, B.
1/01/2006 → …
Project: Research
-
Corrigendum: Editorial: The relevance of molecular mechanisms in HIV-1 latency and reactivation from latency (Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, (2023), 13, (1190867), 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1190867)
Pasternak, A. O., Rohr, O., van Lint, C. & Kula-Pacurar, A., 2023, In: Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology. 13, 1213356.Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/Letter to the editor › Academic
Open Access -
Editorial: The relevance of molecular mechanisms in HIV-1 latency and reactivation from latency
Pasternak, A. O., Rohr, O., van Lint, C. & Kula-Pacurar, A., 2023, In: Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology. 13, 1190867.Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › Academic › peer-review
Open Access -
FcγRIIA-specific DARPins as novel tools in blood cell analysis and platelet aggregation
Riechert, V., Hein, S., Visser, M., Zimmermann, M., Wesche, J., Adams, P. A., Theuerkauf, S. A., Jamali, A., Wangorsch, A., Reuter, A., Pasternak, A. O., Hartmann, J., Greinacher, A., Herrera-Carrillo, E., Berkhout, B., Cichutek, K. & Buchholz, C. J., 1 Jun 2023, In: Journal of Biological Chemistry. 299, 6, 104743.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
Open Access2 Citations (Scopus) -
HIV persistence: silence or resistance?
Pasternak, A. O. & Berkhout, B., 1 Apr 2023, In: Current opinion in virology. 59, 101301.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › Academic › peer-review
Open Access7 Citations (Scopus) -
'Zombie' proviruses in the spotlight: exploring the dark side of HIV persistence
Pasternak, A. O., Tsukamoto, T. & Berkhout, B., 15 Nov 2023, In: AIDS (London, England). 37, 14, p. 2239-2241 3 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/Letter to the editor › Academic