HIV Infection: Advances Toward a Cure

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Immunology
• Virology

Background:

• HIV infection establishes latent reservoirs of infected cells.
• Eliminating these reservoirs is crucial for achieving a functional HIV cure.
• Current treatments control viral replication but do not eradicate the infection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current and emerging strategies for achieving a cure for HIV infection.
• To discuss the challenges and potential combinations of therapies for HIV eradication.
• To summarize expert perspectives on the path towards an HIV-free state.

Main Methods:

• Review of antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiated very early in infection.
• Discussion of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) as a curative approach.
• Exploration of novel strategies: "shock-and-kill", immune checkpoint inhibitors, gene therapy (e.g., CCR5-modified CD4+ T cells), and broadly neutralizing antibodies.

Main Results:

• No single strategy currently guarantees HIV cure.
• Combination approaches are likely necessary to overcome viral latency and reservoirs.
• Early ART and advanced immune-based therapies show promise.

Conclusions:

• Achieving an HIV cure necessitates targeting latent reservoirs and preventing viral reactivation.
• A multifaceted approach combining diverse therapeutic modalities is the most promising path forward.
• Continued research into immune-based and gene therapies is essential for HIV eradication.