The Immunology Podcast

Ep. 124: “HIV Latency” Featuring Dr. Sharon Lewin

Feb 10, 2026
Guest
Sharon Lewin
Dr. Sharon Lewin, director at the Peter Doherty Institute and HIV researcher, discusses viral latency and where HIV hides in the body. She covers measuring low-level HIV transcription and the anatomical reservoirs that persist on therapy. Strategies reviewed include latency-reversal, targeting survival pathways, immunotherapies like broadly neutralizing antibodies, and lessons from transplant cures.
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INSIGHT

Why HIV Persists As A Lifelong Infection

  • HIV persists because it integrates into host DNA and establishes lifelong latency in resting memory CD4 T cells.
  • These latently infected memory CD4 T cells have long half-lives and can remain transcriptionally silent until the host T cell becomes activated.
INSIGHT

ART Restores Health But Leaves Persistent Immune Activation

  • Modern ART restores life expectancy and prevents transmission (U=U) but doesn't fully normalize immune activation.
  • People on ART often retain low-level immune activation and higher risk of comorbidities despite viral suppression.
INSIGHT

Latency Is Multi Step Not Simply Silent

  • Viral latency is layered: many integrated proviruses are transcriptionally blocked at initiation, elongation, or splicing steps.
  • Sensitive assays detect low-level cell-associated HIV RNA on therapy, indicating many proviruses are poised but incomplete without full T-cell activation.
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