French researchers have identified a marker that makes it possible to differentiate “dormant” HIV–infected cells from healthy cells.

This discovery will make it possible to isolate and analyze reservoir cells which, by silently hosting the virus, are responsible for its persistence even among patients receiving antiviral treatment, whose viral load is undetectable. It offers new therapeutic strategies for targeting infected cells. This research is part of the ANRS strategic program “Réservoirs du VIH”.

It is the result of a collaboration between the CNRS, Montpellier University, the Inserm, the Institut Pasteur, the Henri–Mondor AP–HP hospital in Créteil, the Gui de Chauliac hospital (CHU de Montpellier) and the VRI (Vaccine Research Institute), and was published in the journal Nature on March 15, 2017.

A patent owned by the CNRS has been filed for the diagnostic and therapeutic use of the identified marker.