Scientists at Melbourne's Doherty Institute used mRNA technology to force HIV out of hiding in white blood cells, a critical step toward a cure. The technique encases HIV in a "fat bubble" nanoparticle that reveals the virus to the immune system.
In a study published in Nature Communications in mid-2025, researchers at Melbourne's Doherty Institute discovered a way to force HIV out of hiding within white blood cells — one of the virus's most cunning survival strategies. Using mRNA technologies similar to those behind COVID-19 vaccines, the team encased viral markers in lipid nanoparticles that instruct infected cells to reveal the presence of the dormant virus.
The breakthrough is particularly significant because HIV's ability to hide in immune cells has been the primary obstacle to finding a cure for decades. "In terms of the field of HIV cure, we have never seen anything close to as good as what we are seeing," said Dr. Paula Cevaal, first co-author of the paper. While many steps remain before a clinical cure is achieved, the researchers expressed strong optimism that this approach could eventually lead to clearing the virus from the body entirely, offering hope to the estimated 40.8 million people living with HIV worldwide.
“Using mRNA technologies similar to those behind COVID-19 vaccines, the team encased viral markers in lipid nanoparticles that instruct infected cells to reveal the presence of the dormant virus.”
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