In 1995, our group has established the first connection between the fields of HIV and chemokines with the identification of RANTES, MIP-1a and MIP-1ß as potent natural HIV inhibitors. This discovery, along with the subsequent demonstration that chemokine receptors, such as CCR5 and CXCR4, serve as coreceptors for HIV, has opened a new field of investigation, with important implications for the pathogenesis, prevention and therapy of HIV infection. Our work is focused on understanding the role of the HIV-inhibitory chemokines and their receptors in the course of HIV infection, on using chemokines as new tools for evaluating and improving the efficacy of anti-HIV vaccines, as well as on the development of novel therapeutic strategies against AIDS based on chemokines or derivative molecules. Another focus of our research regards the biology and the pathogenic effects of the most recently discovered human herpesviruses, HHV-6, HHV-7 and HHV–8. Finally, we recently started to explore new avenues for the development of a protective HIV vaccine capable of inducing broadly active neutralizing antibodies.