About

Persistent, latent HIV infection despite anti-retroviral therapy (ART) remains a formidable barrier towards achieving an HIV cure. A major approach to target persistent HIV infection involves latency reversal, using small molecules capable of inducing expression of the HIV provirus, followed by immune mediated clearance of infected cells. The successful implementation of this or indeed any other approach to HIV eradication will require specific knowledge about the nature of the reservoir and the interplay of factors regulating the reservoir in all human populations. Women constitute one half of people living with HIV disease yet, they represent a minority in HIV cure studies. Our laboratory uses molecular biology and biochemical methods to 1) define sex-specific and other factors that contribute to HIV persistence in people living with HIV with a particular focus on women, 2) define modalities to disrupt latency and clear latently infected cells, and 3) apply these observations in clinical applications.