Cure update from IAS 2023
Dr Jillian Lau of the Doherty Institute and Alfred Health in Melbourne attended the recent IAS (International AIDS Society) HIV […]
Reservoir, remission, rebound
Where and when can HIV be found in a person living with HIV?
The HIV reservoir is the pool of virus remaining in the body of a person living with HIV who is on treatment. Treatment is very good at dealing with virus in the blood, and with successful treatment, blood virus will become undetectable. Anti-HIV drugs are not able to get into all parts of the body, however, and often reservoirs of virus remain despite treatment. The HIV reservoir is mainly made up of non-active immune cells such as resting CD4+ T cells which can be found in places such as lymph nodes, spleen, and the lining of the gut.
Currently it is impossible to definitively prove that HIV has been completely eliminated from all parts of the body. The term “remission” is borrowed from the cancer field, and is defined as the absence of disease (viral replication) for an extended period off therapy.
HIV rebound refers to the re-emergence of virus after a period when it was not detectable in the blood. To measure the success of some HIV cure interventions, individuals may be required to stop their treatment, the time it takes for the virus to re-emerge to detectable levels in the blood is referred to as “time to rebound”.
Reversing latency to cure HIV
HIV is a virus that inserts its own DNA into the host DNA upon infection. This “provirus” can remain dormant,
Managing hope and expectation: Perspectives on HIV cure
HIV cure. Those two little words elicit such hope, expectation and frustration. This was the theme that ran through the
Hidden, but not forgotten: Understanding HIV hiding in the brain
Antiretroviral treatment (ART) has significant benefits for the health and quality of life of people with HIV. Despite this, a
Is a cure for HIV on the horizon?
A breakdown of the Research priorities for an HIV cure: International AIDS Society Global Scientific Strategy 2021 The landscape of
HIV cure snapshot
The Australasian HIV&AIDS Conference (commonly known as ASHM after the organiser, the Australasian Society for HIV Medicine) was held online
Rousing the reservoir: understanding more about where HIV hides in lymph nodes
Sydney researchers are leading a study to discover more about the HIV reservoir. The TRESAX study seeks to find out
The promise and challenge of stem cell transplants in HIV cure
The only confirmed case of HIV cure, and two cases of long-term remission without treatment, are the result of stem
Key lessons from Keystone
Keystone symposia bring together focused groups of scientists to discuss unpublished research. They provide insights into the current thinking around
From Berlin to London: making sense of HIV cure claims
For over 12 years, Timothy Ray Brown, known as the ‘Berlin Patient’, has been the only person to be cured
Hide and seek: new trial to help find hidden HIV
HIV plays a game of hide and seek during treatment. Australian researchers have launched a new study to find a
Stigma, seroconversion and the search for an HIV cure
Reducing the persistent stigma and discrimination related to HIV infection drives clinician scientist Jintanat Ananworanich. Her research interests range from