Huldrych F. Günthard, MD
Professor of Infectious Diseases
Senior Staff Physician
Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology
University Hospital Zurich
Zurich, Switzerland

Research Topics

• HIV drug resistance
• HIV transmission and evolution
• HIV latency and residual transcription/replication
• Primary HIV infection
• Antiretroviral therapy
• HIV pathogenesis (viral/host interactions)

Current Professional Summary

Dr Günthard is a Professor at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. At the University Hospital, he is head of the HIV-research laboratory in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology. He is board certified in internal medicine and infectious diseases. He is a senior consultant in general infectious diseases and HIV medicine. Dr Günthard teaches medical students, supervises residents in internal medicine, infectious diseases fellows, and doctoral students (MDs and PhDs). He is involved in various research projects, locally, nationally and internationally. These consist of clinical, translational and basic research projects. His major aim is to perform multidisciplinary research, involving basic scientists, clinicians, epidemiologists, statisticians and bioinformatics researchers.

Committees and Organizations

• Swiss Society for Infectious Diseases
• Infectious Diseases Society of America
• American Society of Microbiology
• Chair, Scientific Board of the Swiss HIV-Cohort Study
• Member, National Research Council of the Swiss National Research Foundation, Division III, Biology and Medicine

Honors and Awards

• The Bristol-Myers Squibb AIDS Award (1995)
• Recipient of the Georg-Friedrich-Götz Preis – Research Award of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich (2006)
• HIV Research Award for the most excellent Swiss basic research in HIV in the previous 2 years (2009)

Education

• University of Zurich, Medical School (1984-1990)
• University Hospital of Zurich, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Zurich (1991-1993)
• Stadtspital Triemli, Resident in the Department of Internal Medicine (1994-1996)
• University of California San Diego, Postdoctoral research/Infectious Disease Fellowship (1996-1999)
• University Hospital Zurich, Staff Physician (1999-2003)
• University Hospital Zurich, Head HIV-research laboratory of the Division of Infectious Diseases (1999-present)
• University of Zurich, Faculty of Medicine Member (2009)

Selected Publications

1. Wong JK, Hezareh M, Günthard HF, Havlir DV, Ignacio CC, Spina CA, Richman DD. Recovery of replication-competent HIV despite prolonged suppression of plasma viremia. Science. 1997;278:1291-1295.
2. Günthard HF, Frost S, Leigh-Brown AJ, Ignacio CC, Kee K, Spina CA, Havlir DV, Hezareh M, Looney DJ, Richman DD, Wong JK. Evolution of envelope sequences of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in cellular reservoirs in the setting of potent antiviral therapy. J Virol. 1999; 73(11):9404-9412.
3. Oxenius A, McLean A, Fischer M, Price DA, Dawson SJ, Hafner R, Schneider C, Joller H, Hirschel B, Phillips RE, Weber R, Günthard HF, for the Swiss HIV Cohort Study. HIV-specific CD8+ T cell responses do not predict viral growth and clearance rates during structured intermittent antiretroviral therapy. J Virol. 2002;76(20):10169-10176.
4. Metzner KJ, Bonhoeffer S, Fischer M, Karanicolas R, Weber R, Hirschel B, Kostrikis LG, Günthard HF, and the Swiss HIV Cohort Study. Emergence of minor populations of HIV-1 carrying the M184V and L90M mutations in subjects undergoing structured treatment interruptions. J Infect Dis. 2003;188:1433-1443.
5. Trkola A, Kuster H, Leemann C, Oxenius A, Fagard C, Furrer H, Battegay M, Vernazza P,  Bernasconi E, Weber R, Hirschel B, Bonhoeffer S, Günthard HF, and the Swiss HIV cohort study. Humoral immunity to HIV-1: Kinetics of antibody responses in chronic infection reflects capacity of immune system to improve viral set point. Blood. 2004;104:1784-1792.
6. Trkola A, Kuster H, Rusert P, Joos B, Fischer M, Leemann C, Manrique A, Huber M, Rehr M, Oxenius A, Weber R, Stiegler G, Vcelar B, Katinger H, Aceto L, Günthard HF. Delay of HIV-1 rebound after cessation of antiretroviral therapy through passive transfer of human neutralizing antibodies. Nat Med. 2005:11:615-622.
7. Von Wyl V, Yerly S, Böni J, Bürgisser P, Klimkait T, Battegay M, Furrer H, Telenti A, Hirschel B, Vernazza P, Bernasconi E, Rickenbach M, Perrin L, Ledergerber B, Günthard HF and the Swiss HIV Cohort Study. Emergence of HIV-1 drug resistance in previously untreated patients initiating combination Antiretroviral treatment - A comparison of different regimen types. Arch Intern Med. 2007;167:1782-1790.
8. Joos B, Fischer M, Kuster H, Pillai SK, Wong JK, Böni J, Hirschel B, Weber R, Trkola A, Günthard HF, and The Swiss HIV Cohort Study. HIV rebounds from latently infected cells, rather than from continuing low-level replication. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 2008;105:16725-16730.
9. Fischer M, Joos B, Niederöst B, Kaiser P, Hafner R, von Wyl V, Ackermann M, Weber R, Günthard HF. ‎Biphasic decay kinetics suggest progressive slowing in turnover of latently HIV-1 infected cells during antiretroviral therapy. Retrovirology. 2008;5:107:1-16. doi:10.1186/1742-4690-5-107.
10. Von Wyl V, Yerly S, Böni J, Burgisser P, Klimkait T, Battegay M, Bernasconi E, Cavassini M, Furrer H, Hirschel B, Vernazza PL, Rickenbach M, Francioli P, Bonhoeffer SL, Ledergerber B, Günthard HF, and the Swiss HIV Cohort Study. Long-Term Trends of HIV Type 1 Drug Resistance Prevalence among Antiretroviral Treatment-Experienced Patients in Switzerland. Clin Infect Dis. 2009;48: 48:979-87.
11. Hirsch MS, Gunthard HF, Schapiro JM, et al. Antiretroviral drug resistance testing in adult HIV-1 infection: 2008 recommendations of an International AIDS Society-USA panel. Clin Infect Dis. 2008;47:266-285.
12. Johnson VA, Brun-Vezinet F, Clotet B, Günthard HF, Kuritzkes DR, Pillay D, Schapiro JM, Richman DD. Update of the drug resistance mutations in HIV-1: December 2009. Top HIV Med. 2009;17:138-145.