When a resting immune cell that is latently infected with HIV gets reactivated, the cell starts producing HIV virions (red) that bud and release from the cell (blue), as shown here. Photo credit: NIAID

In a range of experiments, scientists have reactivated resting immune cells that were latently infected with HIV or its monkey relative, SIV, in cells in the bloodstream and a variety of tissues in animals. As a result, the cells started making copies of the viruses, which could potentially be neutralized by anti-HIV drugs and the immune system. This advance, published today in two papers in the journal Nature, marks progress toward a widely accessible cure for HIV. Read more.

Published January 22, 2019 by National Institutes of Health

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