Breakthrough in search for HIV cure leaves researchers 'overwhelmed'

A cure for HIV could be a step closer after researchers found a new way to force the virus out of hiding inside human cells.

- Kat Lay

The virus's ability to conceal itself inside certain white blood cells has been one of the main challenges for scientists looking for a cure. It means there is a reservoir of the HIV in the body, capable of reactivation, that neither the immune system nor drugs can tackle.

Researchers from the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne have demonstrated a way to make the virus visible, paving the way to fully clear it from the body. It is based on mRNA technology, which came to prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic when it was used in vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech.

In a paper published in the journal Nature Communications, the researchers have shown for the first time that mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) can be delivered into the cells where HIV is hiding, by encasing it in a tiny, specially formulated fat bubble. The mRNA then instructs the cells to reveal the virus.

Globally there are almost 40 million people living with HIV, who must take medication for the rest of their lives in order to suppress the virus and ensure they do not develop symptoms or transmit it. For many it remains deadly, with UNAids figures suggesting one person died of HIV every minute in 2023.