Optical Micro-Manipulation in HIV-1 Infected Cells for Improved HIV-1 Treatment and Diagnosis

The study explored the use of various laser-based techniques in the treatment and diagnosis of HIV-1 infection in TZM-bl cells. It was found that low power red laser irradiation reduced HIV-1 infection, and when combined with the antiretroviral drug efavirenz, the infection could be reduced to undetectable levels. Additionally, the study demonstrated that HIV-1 infection could be diagnosed in a label-free manner using optical trapping and luminescence spectroscopy. Super-resolution microscopy (SIM) confirmed the presence of viral molecules in infected cells, which were absent in uninfected cells. The research suggested that coupling super-resolution microscopy with optical trapping could enhance HIV diagnosis in future studies.