The HIV cure puzzle
Over the last ten years, there has been a dramatic increase in research into finding a cure for HIV.
Similar to the way ART uses drugs that target different parts of the HIV lifecycle, cure research is likely to use multiple treatments to cover four areas:
- To activate sleeping cells in the viral reservoir
- To answer questions about ongoing HIV replication on ART. For example, are there places in the body that ART
doesn’t reach? - To see whether immune damage from HIV can be reversed
- To use a vaccine or immune-based treatment to keep viral load under control, but without needing ART
As an advocate, it is always good to be optimistic – and hope is a powerful thing.
Just as science developed ART, one day there will be a cure.
- Not only has funding for cure research increased but researchers in many different countries are working together on this shared goal.
- Although ART is good, a cure would be better!
- One type of cure is called eradication. This approach aims to clear HIV completely from your body. The reservoir makes this very difficult. A single long-lived resting cell could activate decades after someone might think they are cured.
- Another type of cure is called a functional cure. This approach attempts to get your immune system to control HIV, without needing ART.
- In practice, most people living with HIV would welcome either type of cure. But in both cases an HIV cure would be similar to remission after cancer.
- Any cure for HIV is likely to need a combination approach. Different research will provide different pieces of the puzzle.
Further reading
The International AIDS Society (IAS) publishes the Towards a Cure report in 2012. This is the best overview for a research programme for the range of HIV cure research.
http://www.iasociety.org/Portals/0/Files/Cure/HIV_Cure_Full_recommendations_July_2012.pdf (PDF)
Many other resources are produced by the IAS to track the progress of this research, including an annual update on progress.
http://www.iasociety.org/HIV-Programmes/Programmes/Towards-an-HIV-Cure/Resources
www.iasociety.org/hivcure
Last updated: 22 March 2022.