This means that there is always a small but significant population of the virus that is not replicating and therefore cannot be targeted with existing medications.  Latent virus is the main reason why scientists have yet to find a cure for HIV/AIDS.  

Not only are antiviral medications unable to target it but also the body’s immune system is unable to get at the dormant virus.  Scientists are now trying ways to make the dormant virus active again, thus making them susceptible to existing antiviral mediations and the body’s immune system.

Other research is also providing valuable clues to curing HIV.  Researchers at the University of California are focusing on a small percentage of people infected with HIV but have remained healthy without antiviral drugs.  These people are called “elite controllers” and typically have low or undetectable levels of HIV.  Some researchers believe that understanding how these elite controllers control the virus so effectively is key to finding a cure.

If doctors could find the immune response that is effective at destroying HIV then vaccines could be developed that focus in those areas.  Cutting-edge drug therapies have already lowered HIV to infinitesimally low levels.  Researchers out of the University of North Carolina used a common drug called valproic acid with the standard mix of medication.  The valproic acid brought out the latent HIV and the antiviral drugs eliminated it.  By the end of the trail, reservoirs of latent HIV had been reduced by 75 %.  

While researchers admit that they aren’t close to a cure, they are making great progress.

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