CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have uncovered a key reason why HIV remains so difficult to cure, bringing researchers closer to finding ways to flush out the dormant virus and eliminate it for good.
Their research shows small changes in the virus affect how quickly or slowly it replicates, and how easily or stubbornly it can reawaken from hiding.
Thanks to advancements in treatments, HIV can now be controlled so well it is nearly undetectable in the blood, eliminating most disease symptoms and preventing transmission to others. But HIV never truly goes away. It lies dormant in the body and can reemerge if medications are stopped. That’s how the virus evades antiretroviral drugs and the body’s immune system…