Overview

• Researchers at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity engineered a lipid nanoparticle called LNP X to deliver mRNA into the exact white blood cells harboring HIV, prompting them to reveal the virus.
• The technique surmounts a barrier once deemed insurmountable because these cells would not take up earlier nanoparticle designs.
• Published June 5 in Nature Communications, lab tests using patient-donated cells showed the method reliably detects hidden HIV.
• Planned animal studies and human safety trials will evaluate whether exposed viral reservoirs can be cleared by the immune system or require additional therapies.
• With nearly 40 million people living with HIV globally and current treatments only suppressing the virus, this discovery represents a key advance toward a potential cure.