KU Leuven researchers develop method to permanently disable HIV virus

22 May 2025

Researchers at KU Leuven have developed a method to render HIV viruses permanently harmless. The research was published on Thursday in the scientific journal Nature Communications.

Currently, 600,000 people worldwide still die from HIV infection every year. However, thanks to antiretroviral drugs, patients' quality of life has improved significantly and the number of new infections has fallen dramatically. However, as the medication only suppresses the virus, patients must take it for life.

Researchers at KU Leuven have now discovered a way to disable the virus completely in cells in a laboratory environment. Professor of molecular medicine Zeger Debyser describes this as a "scientific breakthrough". "Much clinical research is still needed before a new treatment can be developed, but this is already a big step forward."

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No more parking spots

Previous research by Debyser's team has already enabled them to disable the virus's 'GPS system', meaning it can no longer integrate into human DNA at its most favourable location. This prevents the virus from spreading. However, some viruses still manage to bypass this barrier by accident.

The research team therefore set out to find a new treatment method. By giving the viruses a barcode, the team was able to determine where the viruses integrate into the DNA. In this research paper, they focused on locking down those locations.

"The first agent disables the car's GPS, meaning it can no longer find the optimal parking spot," explains Debyser. "The second agent then shuts down the barriers at all other car parks, meaning the car cannot park anywhere."

The virus is not eradicated from the body, however. Instead, it goes into a deep sleep. Combining the two methods would mean that AIDS patients would no longer have to take medication for life.

Further research is needed to prove this, adds Debyser. The first method developed by the team is currently undergoing clinical trials. Clinical trials for the new method have yet to start.

^{#FlandersNewsService | PHOTO © Douglas Magno / AFP}

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