Antiviral drugs prevent HIV from replicating, but the virus can hide in the cells of infected individuals in a non-replicating, latent form. A two-pronged approach to target this latent virus shows promise in monkeys.
Advances in the management of HIV over the past three decades have been spectacular, thanks to the development of antiretroviral drugs that prevent the virus from replicating. These drugs have very few side effects, prolong life and block sexual transmission. However, the virus is never eliminated — instead, it hides in immune cells called CD4+ T cells in a non-replicating, latent form. If treatment is stopped, the virus rapidly re-emerges from this latent reservoir1. Given the cost of antiretroviral drugs, the need for ongoing engagement in care and the persisting stigma for people living with HIV, there is intense focus on finding a way to target the latent virus so that treatment can be safely stopped without viral re-emergence. In a paper in Nature, Borducchi et al.2 report remarkable findings that may have achieved just that in a monkey model of HIV.
