Advances in HIV Research: Mechanisms, Transmission Routes, and Emerging Therapeutic Strategies

Abstract

Recently significant progress has been made towards the goal of achieving a cure for AIDS, but there is still a long way to go. This essay comprehensively reviews the latest advancements in HIV/AIDS research, emphasizing the virus's mechanisms of action, transmission routes, and emerging therapeutic strategies. HIV, a retrovirus that targets CD4+ T cells, continues to pose a significant global health challenge. The essay provides an overview of the HIV life cycle, highlighting the roles of viral envelope proteins and single-cell sequencing technology in understanding its intricate mechanisms, and discusses the progression of HIV from initial infection to AIDS, highlighting the ability of the virus to integrate into the host genome and evade the immune system. In addition, the paper analyzes HIV transmission routes, mainly sexual contact, blood contact, and mother-to-child transmission, and explores emerging treatment strategies, including gene-editing technologies such as CRISPR-Cas9, immunotherapy and cell therapies such as broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs), HSCT, and vaccine development. While a cure remains elusive, these advancements offer hope for the future eradication of HIV/AIDS as a global health threat.