Integrating socio-behavioral, ethics, community, and translational science considerations in HIV cure research

HIV cure research efforts are expanding globally, yet several critical areas in the socio-behavioral, ethics, community engagement, and translational aspects remain underexplored. This article critically reviews the relevant literature from the past 5 years (2021-2025), highlights key gaps, and offers recommendations for future research.

The multidisciplinary literature on HIV cure research is expanding, but urgent attention is required in several areas. These include the integration of socio-behavioral, ethics, and community engagement perspectives into HIV cure trials, with an increased emphasis on translation to resource-limited settings. The intersection of socio-behavioral sciences, ethics, and translational science requires more tailored research to ensure the deployment of socially impactful interventions.

Critical areas for further research include: increased scholarship in socio-behavioral sciences and ethics alongside scientific advancements in HIV cure research; expanding formative research in resource-limited settings and enhancing integration within analytical treatment interruption (ATI)-inclusive trials; continued implementation of the behavioral and social sciences research functional framework and evidence-based approaches into trial designs; strengthening psychosocial support and ethical frameworks for trial participants; and redressing power imbalances between scientific disciplines, ensuring socio-behavioral, ethics and community considerations are central, not secondary, to HIV cure research efforts worldwide.