Genomics meets HIV-1

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Abstract
Humans vary in their susceptibility to HIV infection, and identifying the host genetic factors that cause this variation is a priority for vaccine development. Progress in high-throughput genotyping and in knowledge about human genetic variation allows systematic searching for genetic variants that influence the human response to HIV-1. Genomics is now a core element in the effort to develop a vaccine against HIV-1. Thanks to unprecedented progress in high-throughput genotyping and sequencing, in knowledge about genetic variation in humans, and in evolutionary genomics, it is finally possible to systematically search the genome for common genetic variants that influence the human response to HIV-1. The identification of such variants would help to determine which aspects of the response to the virus are the most promising targets for intervention. However, a key obstacle to progress remains the scarcity of appropriate human cohorts available for genomic research.