Efforts to eliminate the latent reservoir in resting CD4+ T cells: strategies for curing HIV-1 infection

Since the introduction of the first antiretroviral drug, zidovudine, in 1987, over 25 different antiretroviral agents from six different drug classes have been approved for the treatment of HIV-1 infection. Today, combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) is extremely effective in suppressing HIV-1 replication, providing durable control of the virus in adherent patients. However, despite the effectiveness of ART in blocking viral replication, HIV-1 infection cannot be cured by ART alone because HIV-1 establishes a state of latent infection in a small pool of resting, memory CD4+ T cells. Some new developments in the search for a cure are discussed.