HIV therapy in the post-eradication era

Over the past three years, most efforts of virologists and immunologists involved in the field of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) have been focussed on strategies aimed at eradicating the infection. So far, however, all the approaches have been unsuccessful. Indeed, even if the currently available potent antiretroviral regimens are able to induce a profound and durable suppression of viral replication, they have poor effect on a viral reservoir of latently infected CD4+ T lymphocytes that rapidly reactivate after treatment discontinuation. Different approaches, including combined (immune based and antiretroviral) therapies, are therefore under investigation. The goal is to achieve an equilibrium where virus-induced immune dysfunction is prevented by an effective anti HIV immune response.