HIV/AIDSAIDS 2026: HIV cure strategies, with or without latency reversalThe scientific community continues to make progress at uncovering the elements that could lead to a cure for HIV. The virus remains latent in reservoirs that are difficult to eliminate, so researchers are pursuing two main strategies. The “shock-and-kill” approach aims to wake up latent virus and remove infected cells. “Block-and-lock” methods seek to silence the virus permanently. Other approaches focus on directly depleting the reservoir by making infected cells more susceptible to immune clearance or apoptosis without first reactivating viral expression.