A groundbreaking discovery reveals how HIV integrates its genetic material into human DNA, exposing a key viral vulnerability that could lead to new therapies and bring the world closer to a functional HIV cure. Integrase’s job is to take that viral DNA and insert, or “staple,” it into the cell’s own DNA. Scientists have known for years that integration is essential to HIV infection, but what hasn’t been clear is how integrase decides where to insert the viral DNA. They also studied how the structure of human DNA, such as which parts are active and which are inactive, influences where HIV settles in. The researchers found that certain “hotspots” of integration may help explain why HIV infection continues even under strong drug treatment.