Hope on the Horizon: New Research Brings HIV Cure Closer

Micrograph of an HIV particle captured at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility in Fort Detrick, Maryland

The Guardian reports a breakthrough by researchers that could bring scientists closer to a cure for HIV.

The challenge in curing HIV has always been its ability to hide in certain white blood cells, making it invisible to both the immune system and current treatments.

At Mildmay, we’ve spent nearly four decades providing care and support to people living with HIV. We are deeply encouraged by the promising findings from researchers at the Doherty Institute in Melbourne, as reported today in The Guardian.

The study demonstrates a breakthrough method to expose latent HIV hiding in white blood cells, long considered one of the greatest barriers to a cure. Using mRNA technology, this approach has successfully triggered HIV to become detectable in lab conditions for the first time.

While there is still a long road ahead before this can be tested and applied clinically, we join researchers, advocates, and healthcare professionals around the world in celebrating this hopeful step forward.

Mildmay remains committed to providing specialist rehabilitation and support to people living with HIV and complex needs. We also continue to advocate for funding, research, and innovation in the global response to HIV/AIDS.

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Image credit: NIAID on Flickr