Cure updates from AIDS2018
Pre-conference workshops The HIV Cure Research with the Community workshop kicked off discussions about HIV cure in Amsterdam. Chaired by
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”.
Stronger together: promising combination approach in monkeys
A promising study of a combination approach to HIV cure featured at last month’s Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections
Why HIV cure research needs to involve more women
Understanding how HIV cure interventions affect women will move us closer to the goal of an HIV cure for everyone.
Doing FLIPS: a new way to find latent HIV
Researchers have revealed a new way to understand the HIV that stays in the body during therapy. The group from
HIV remission: what could it mean for people living with HIV?
HIV remission, or long-term HIV control off treatment, is the most likely next step towards an HIV cure. But in
The toad towards an HIV cure
I. Introduction In recent years, a global movement has arisen towards finding a cure for HIV. While we remain many
Paris highlights
The International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science was held in Paris last week. HIV scientists, clinicians and community advocates
South African child holds HIV at bay without drugs
The big HIV cure story from the IAS2017 conference in Paris is the case of HIV remission in a South African
New test uncovers (more) hidden HIV
Scientists from the US have announced an improved way to detect hidden HIV. The group of Professor Phalguni Gupta at
Seattle HIV conference showcases latest research
Timothy Ray Brown’s HIV cure passed its 10th anniversary in mid-February. At the same time, leading HIV researchers met in
An overview of HIV cure research
The desire for a cure for HIV has existed since the start of the epidemic. In the 1980s, many people
HIV still replicating in tissue in people on ART
Research published this month in Nature suggests that ongoing HIV replication is responsible for maintaining a virus stockpile in lymphoid