HIV Drug Resistance Database app for iPhone and iPad

The HIV/AIDS DRIT-Drug Resistance Interpretation Tool APP has been developed by GSK for exclusive use by health professionals , which is the first mobile APP directly link with Stanford HIV Drug Resistance Database (HIVDB), the APP could enable the healthcare providers to study and search the HIVDB anytime anywhere to understand and interpret the HIV genotypic drug resistance test result more easily and accurately.

One of the main challenges in treating HIV/AIDS and other pandemic viral infections is that some viruses mutate at high rates and rapidly develop resistance to existing antiviral drugs. The omnipresent threat of drug resistance is a fundamental aspect of HIV/AIDS treatment that requires the lifelong use of multiple-drug combinations. Although several highly effective drug combinations have been identified, HIV drug resistance is increasing worldwide. This resistance results in treatment failures, the use of more costly second- and third-line treatment regimens, and the transmission of emergent drug-resistant virus strains to previously uninfected individuals.

The presence of HIV-1 drug resistance before starting a new antiretroviral (ARV) drug treatment regimen is an independent predictor of the virological response to that regimen. Several studies have shown that the use of genotypic resistance testing prior to the start of new treatment regimen increases the likelihood of virological response to that regimen. However, interpreting the results of HIV-1 drug resistance tests is difficult. First, there are many different drug resistance mutations (DRMs). Second, these DRMs cause varying levels of reduced susceptibility to different ARVs. Third, standard genotypic resistance tests fail to detect DRMs present at low levels within a patients virus population.

The HIV/AIDS DRIT APP provides instant and easy access to regularly updated information about specific HIV mutations related to resistance to antiviral drugs, the APP accepts user-submitted protease, RT, and integrase mutations and returns inferred levels of resistance to the most commonly used protease, nucleoside, non-nucleoside, and integrase inhibitors. Its purpose is educational and as such it provides extensive comments and a highly transparent scoring system that is hyperlinked to data in the HIV Drug Resistance Database.

For more information about HIVDB, please refer Introducation of the Stanford HIV Drug Resistance Database (HIVDB)