The search for a cure for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is one of the goals of scientists and medical experts today. How close are HIV researchers to finding that one cure?

A collection of studies and reports on the progress of finding the cure should help provide updates about how far science has gone to find the cure. This collection coming from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. is now available in the special issue of the journal AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses.

In one study, researchers from the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research and Gilead Sciences studied if one anti-retroviral drug, when added to an existing anti-retroviral therapy, can be more effective in controlling virus in animal models.

For the new study, the drug involved is a protease inhibitor called darunavir, which was added to the triple therapy consisting of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, emtricitabine, and dolutegravir. This regimen was tested on rhesus macaques infected with simian immunodeficiency virus, a type of virus that is related and in many ways similar to HIV.

The researchers reported the complete findings in their article titled "Comparative Evaluation of Coformulated Injectable Combination Antiretroviral Therapy Regimens in Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Rhesus Macaques."

This study is just one of the many studies found in the special issue. According to Editor-in-Chief Thomas Hope PhD, in a release from EurekAlert, "The second annual HIV Cure Research issue brings together current opinions and recent advances in research to highlight this high priority area of HIV research, inform the field and public, and stimulate debate and discussion to bring us a step closer to the goal of developing a cure for HIV infection."

Meanwhile, AIDSMap reported that the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) is coming up in Boston. The meeting will be held from Feb. 22 to 25. More updates on HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome syndrome (AIDS) are expected to be released by that time.

Some of the topics to be presented at the conference include new approaches to HIV cure studies, new methods of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and promotion of HIV testing.