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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 9, 2025

Amplification of Near Full-length HIV-1 Proviruses for Next-Generation Sequencing

Amplification of Near Full-length HIV-1 Proviruses for Next-Generation Sequencing

Published on: October 16, 2018

HIV persistence: silence or resistance?

Alexander O Pasternak¹, Ben Berkhout¹

¹Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Current Opinion in Virology

|February 22, 2023

Summary

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reservoirs persist despite therapy, hindering cures. Emerging insights reveal complex mechanisms, including immune resistance, crucial for developing effective HIV eradication strategies.

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Published on: October 15, 2013

Area of Science:

Virology
Immunology
Infectious Diseases

Background:

Decades of antiretroviral therapy (ART) have suppressed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication but have not eradicated the virus.
Persistent HIV reservoirs remain the primary barrier to achieving a functional cure or long-term remission.
Understanding HIV persistence mechanisms is critical for developing novel therapeutic strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

To review emerging insights into the complex mechanisms of HIV persistence.
To discuss the role of both latent reservoirs and immune-mediated persistence in shaping the viral reservoir.
To explore the implications of these findings for developing strategies towards an HIV cure.

Main Methods:

This review synthesizes current research on HIV persistence.
It examines the interplay between viral latency and immune escape mechanisms.
The discussion focuses on the immunological and virological factors contributing to reservoir maintenance.

Main Results:

HIV persistence is more complex than previously understood, involving transcriptionally silent proviruses and resistance to immune clearance.
Immune system interactions play a surprisingly significant role in maintaining the viral reservoir.
These persistent reservoirs are responsible for viral rebound upon therapy interruption.

Conclusions:

A deeper understanding of HIV persistence mechanisms, including immune evasion, is essential for advancing HIV cure research.
Targeting these complex persistence strategies may be key to achieving durable remission or eradication.
Future therapeutic approaches must address both latent reservoirs and immune-mediated persistence.