Protein-protein interactions and human cellular cofactors as new targets for HIV therapy

•Insight into new strategies in HIV therapy.•Targeting protein-protein interactions in HIV.•Targeting cellular cofactors in HIV.

Two novel approaches for the development of new drugs against AIDS are summarized each leading to the achievement of important discoveries in anti-HIV therapy. Despite the success of HAART in reducing mortality, resistant strains continue to emerge in the clinic, underscoring the importance of developing next-generation drugs. Protein-protein interactions and human cellular cofactors represent the new targets of tomorrow in HIV research. The most relevant results obtained in the last few years by the two new strategies are described herein.