Direction at a glance
Cure research depends on measuring a rare, diverse and anatomically distributed reservoir. No single assay captures intactness, inducibility, integration site, clonality, transcription and rebound competence at once.
What the evidence establishes
- Most proviral DNA detected in treated people is defective.
- Blood sampling incompletely represents reservoirs in lymphoid, gut and other tissues.
- Assay differences can make cross-study comparisons unreliable.
Next decisive research questions
Limits and responsible interpretation
What this direction does not yet prove
A biomarker may correlate with one reservoir feature without predicting clinical control. Treatment interruption remains the definitive but risky test of remission.
Development pathway
| Decision | Required evidence |
|---|---|
| Biological activity | Target engagement and an outcome that cannot be explained by assay noise or selection. |
| Clinical value | Meaningful benefit, adequate follow-up, safety, comparison with current standard care and transparent uncertainty. |
| Generalizability | Diverse populations, subtypes, geographies, ages and clinically relevant comorbidities. |
| Scalability | Manufacturing, delivery, monitoring, price, workforce and community acceptability. |
Principal sources and evidence gateways
Links checked 18 August 202601
NIH Strategic Plan for HIV and HIV-Related Research, updated 2025NIH Office of AIDS Research · Research strategy · Access checked 18 Aug 2026
↗02NIH HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention and research portalNIH HIVinfo · Research strategy · Access checked 18 Aug 2026
↗03ClinicalTrials.gov HIV study registryU.S. National Library of Medicine · Registry · Access checked 18 Aug 2026
↗