Exosomes may play a crucial role in HIV dendritic cell immunotherapy

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a lentivirus that infects cells of the immune system, resulting in cell death and loss of cell-mediated immunity. When the number of immune cells drops below a critical population, HIV can result in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), wherein opportunistic infections and cancers flourish in the absence of immune surveillance. Worldwide, there are over 30 million people infected with HIV, resulting in a significant global health burden (1). The current standard of care for HIV is combined antiretroviral therapy (cART), and while this effectively prevents disease progression and death, treatment must be continued for the rest of the patient’s life (2). Therefore, new therapies that can eradicate and prevent the disease are a crucial area of research in global health.