An update to From SIV to HIV: Emory NPRC Research Paves Way for Potential Cure 

In 2025, researchers at the Emory Vaccine Center and the Emory Primate Center led by Dr. Paiardini have made two significant advancements in the pursuit of a cure for HIV. Using nonhuman primates and the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), the best model for HIV infection in humans, the team identified a treatment that can reduce the viral reservoir – infected cells that are not eliminated by the immune system – a key obstacle for curing HIV.  

Recent studies strongly suggest that a protein called Bcl-2 favors the survival of cells infected with HIV. Bcl-2 also favors the survival of cancer cells. There is a clinically approved medication for cancer patients, Venclexta, that blocks Bcl-2 and promotes cell death. 

For the first time, the Emory Vaccine Center team showed that giving Venclexta to SIV-infected nonhuman primates eliminates a significant portion of the viral reservoir. Based on these exciting results, a clinical trial was approved to treat people living with HIV starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) with Venclexta. 

In a second study, Dr. Paiardini’s group tested an intervention where two brakes of the immune system, IL-10 and PD-1, were removed by antibodies blocking their functions. This is a follow up study to recently published work from Dr. Sekaly and Dr. Paiardini. This intervention, repeated in two phases over a 3-year-long study, resulted in 100% of the animals controlling viral rebound at very low levels for months despite no longer receiving ART. Even more exciting, the treatment also reduced the size of the viral reservoir by nearly 100-fold. 

Now, the scientists at the Emory Vaccine Center and Emory Primate Center are seeking funds to perform the next step of this life-saving research and take the fight against HIV across the finish line.  

With additional funding, they plan to test a combined intervention where Venclexta will reduce the size of the viral reservoir and the aIL-10 and aPD-1 will work together to eliminate all of the infected cells by increasing the strength of the immune system. 

This research has the potential to improve the lives of more than 40 million people living with HIV worldwide.