Fig. 4

Potential of LASER ART for HIV-1 treatment and prevention. Based on extensive animal modeling, a single intramuscular injection of a nanoformulated stearoylated CAB ester prodrug (NM2CAB) can lead to sustained drug levels at the site of injection and within the reticuloendothelial system for up to one year (top panel). The formed CAB nanocrystals are absorbed from the injection site and undergo dissolution for prodrug that is subsequently hydrolyzed into active CAB in blood and tissue. CAB prodrug was recorded in all the tissues during a year-long observation in rodents and rhesus macaques after a singleNM2CAB injection. Top panel reflects how NM2CAB can be distributed after an intramuscular injection. By contrast, the nanoformulated NCAB is rapidly cleared from the site of injection and tissues. For NCAB, therapeutic drug levels are present in lymphoid tissues for one month (bottom panel)