Abstract
Background: HIV/AIDS remains a major global public health challenge despite significant progress in treatment. New infections and HIV-related deaths persist, fueled by disparities in prevention and care access.
Purpose: This review synthesizes recent advances across key domains - from vaccine development to novel treatments to omics approaches – that collectively hold promise for ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Main body: Multiple innovative HIV vaccine platforms are now in early-phase trials, including mRNA vaccines as well as conserved epitope and mosaic constructs for broader immunogenicity. Long-acting injectable antiretrovirals represent a major milestone in HIV treatment, while gene editing techniques offer future curative potential. Leveraging multi-omics data through genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics provides systems-level insights into viral persistence and new therapeutic opportunities. The gut microbiome is increasingly recognized as a mediator of HIV progression, spurring research into probiotic/prebiotic supplementation and fecal transplantation. Across these domains, integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning will likely accelerate discovery.
Conclusion: Despite past setbacks, the HIV cure effort has renewed momentum. Translating emerging tools like long-acting antiretrovirals and omics profiling into broader clinical application could bend the pandemic’s trajectory. Innovation must be paired with ensuring equitable access to maximize global impact.
Keywords
HIV, AIDS, Vaccine, Antiretroviral, Gene editing, CRISPR, Multi-omics, Microbiome, Artificial intelligence