What are STIs and what are the goals of STIs?

STIs (Structured Treatment Interruptions) involve going off anti-HIV therapy for periods of time in a structured and strategic fashion, typically guided by increased lab and health monitoring. In all, more than two dozen studies of STIs of varying types have been conducted since 1998. It is important to note that interpreting the results of STI research can be challenging. Some of the assumptions about HIV disease that led researchers to investigate treatment interruptions in the first place have yet to be proven conclusively. At least some of the research on STIs, however, has been promising and other research has made clear those areas where interrupting therapy is neither safe nor effective.