Modeling HIV persistence and cure studies

Purpose of review To provide a summary of the contributions of mathematical modeling to understanding of HIV persistence during antiretroviral therapy. Recent findings Although HIV persistence during therapy could be caused by continual viral replication or slow-decaying latent infection, most evidence points toward the latter mechanism. The latent reservoir is maintained by a balance of cell death, proliferation, and reactivation, and new methods to estimate the relative contributions of these rates use a wide range of experimental data. This has led to new quantitative predictions about the potential benefit of therapies such as latency-reversing agents or antiproliferative drugs. Summary Results of these mathematical modeling studies can be used to design and interpret future trials of new therapies targeting HIV persistence.