**3. Novel agents and strategies currently being tried against HIV**

All of the therapeutic strategies which are either currently available or under experimental research, involve attacking HIV at any one of the different phases in its infection course. (Figure-1) All these strategies use one or more of the following principles including adminis‐ tration of active chemical compounds, nanotechnology, DNA manipulation, RNA based techniques and cellular transplants.

Apart from these therapeutic strategies which directly impede the viral activity, several immune based therapies are also being developed which intend to enhance the ability of the immune system to overcome HIV on its own. These strategies also act at one or more points in the natural course of HIV infection allowing the immune system to suppress and possibly eliminate HIV [6].

**Figure 1.** Natural course of HIV infection and the targeting points of therapeutic strategies
