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 transmission and luminescence spectroscopy. Super-resolution microscopy confirmed the presence of viral molecules in infected cells, suggesting potential improvements in HIV diagnosis through the integration of these optical techniques.