Eradication of HIV and Cure of AIDS, Now and How?

• Main Authors: Jie Lin eZhang, Clyde eCrumpacker
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2013-10-01
• Series: Frontiers in Immunology
• Subjects: Hematopoietic Stem Cells; HIV; epigenetics; Memory CD4 T-cells; P21Cip1
• Online Access: http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fimmu.2013.00337/full

Recent studies have highlighted the importance of eradication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and cure of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). However, a pivotal point that the patient immunity controls HIV reactivation after highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART, or combination anti-retroviral therapy, cART) remains less well addressed. In spite of the fact that both innate and adaptive immunities are indispensable and numerous cells participate in the anti-HIV immunity, memory CD4 T-cells are indisputably the key cells organizing all immune actions against HIV while being the targets of HIV. Here we present a view and multidisciplinary approaches to HIV/AIDS eradication and cure. We aim at memory CD4 T-cells, utilizing the stem cell properties of these cells to reprogram an anti-HIV memory repertoire to eliminate the viral reservoir, toward achieving an AIDS-free world.