Improving interpretation for antiviral drug resistance

The HIV-GRADE team mourns the loss of Professor Oliver T. Keppler, Chair of Virology at Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, who passed away on January 27, 2026, following a serious illness. An internationally recognized expert in medical virology, Professor Keppler made significant contributions to HIV research and influenced the field far beyond Germany through his pioneering work on virus-host interactions. Since 2015, Professor Keppler had held the Chair of Virology at the Max von Pettenkofer Institute, which was designated the National Reference Centre for Retroviruses - a testament to his exceptional expertise in retrovirology. A dedicated physician-scientist, Professor Keppler was equally passionate about basic research, molecular diagnostics, and therapeutic innovation, always striving to translate experimental findings into clinical practice. His scientific legacy, mentorship, and compassionate approach to virology will continue to inspire researchers and clinicians worldwide. Our deepest sympathies go to his family and friends.

https://www.mvp.uni-muenchen.de/2026/01/30/das-max-von-pettenkofer-institut-trauert-um-prof-dr-med-oliver-t-keppler/

antiviral drug resistance interpretation

HIV-1

Interpretation of HIV-1 drug resistance is one of the major challenges of antiretroviral therapy (ART) monitoring. A substantial number of interpretation systems is available. HIV-GRADE has been developed in the context of other frequently used interpretation systems including the ANRS algorithm, the Stanford database and geno2pheno. Additionally, extensive databases including data of thousands of genotypes, pairs of genotypic and phenotypic data, therapy response, clinical experience of the participating experts and last but not least results from clinical trials have influenced the algorithm. You can access the HIV-1 tool here.

GRADE is an acronym for Genotypic Resistance-Algorithm DEutschland.

HIV-2

HIV-2 treatment is especially challenging. Treatment options are more limited, experience with drugs that are usually only approved for HIV-1 treatment is more limited. Members of the HIV-GRADE team developed together with other specialist the HIV2EU algorithm and the interpretation tool is hosted on this site.

HBV

Infections with Hepatitis B virus remain a global health problem. Identification of virus strains resistant to current treatment options and strains that show typical mutations for immune-escape is an integral part of managing treatment options. You can access the HBV tool here.