Dermal HIV-1 Immunization During Anti-retroviral Therapy Followed by Repeated Treatment Interruptions

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Aged between 18 and 60 years 2. Female, who is documented infertile or in menopause since at least 1 year, or male, who are willing not father a child for the duration of the study. 3. HIV infection detected by two serological and/or HIV plasma RNA tests 4. On HAART for at least 6 months with less than 50 copies/ml of plasma HIV-1 RNA at two determinations over 3 months 5. Current CD4 count above 400 6. CD4 count nadir \>200 7. Viral isolate pre ART available is preferable but not mandatory 8. Willing to consider stopping HAART repeatedly. 9. Willing to conform to a low alcohol intake (maximum of one glass per day) 10. Able to tolerate didanosine and hydroxyurea 11. Willing to change their HAART to exclude NNRTI and stavudine 12. Able to give informed consent 13. Availability for follow-up for planned duration of the study Exclusion Criteria: 1. Patients with ongoing infection(s) other than HIV. 2. Prior or current pancreatitis or history of alcohol abuse. 3. Ongoing neuropathy and history of more than grade 1 neuropathy. 4. History of mutations to more than one class of anti-retroviral drugs or switched drugs more than once due to failure. 5. Sun or solarium exposure at the immunizing sites one month before or during the trial. 6. Cortisone treatment, systemic or local at the immunizing sites, one month before or during the trial. 7. Patients with signs of autoimmune diseases 8. Patients with creatinine \> 2mg/dl, Hb \< 12g/dl, leukocytes \< 3,000ul, platelets \<150,000/ul and LFT \> 5x upper limit of normal 9. Patients on any immune modulating or investigational drug 10. Anamnestic allergy to kanamycin, plasmid gene products