Science Magazine Podcast Finding HIV’s last bastion in the body, and playing the violin like a cricket
Sep 4, 2025
Jon Cohen, a staff writer for Science, discusses the Last Gift Study, revealing how rapid autopsies help identify the hidden reservoirs of HIV in the body. This innovative research aims to inform future therapies. Christine Elliott, a doctoral candidate in entomology at Purdue University, shares insights about the Bug Bowl, an engaging event that celebrates the wonders of insects. Listeners will learn how music embodies the sounds of crickets, enhancing public connection to entomology in ways that traditional lectures can't achieve.
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HIV Integrates And Goes Latent
- HIV hides by integrating its DNA into human chromosomes and entering a latent state.
- That chromosomal provirus escapes immune detection and resists cure despite effective drugs.
Rapid Autopsy Reveals Hidden Reservoirs
- Many important HIV reservoirs (brain, heart, liver, spinal cord) are inaccessible during life.
- Rapid autopsy within six hours preserves RNA and reveals reservoirs unreachable by routine sampling.
Not All Proviruses Are Dangerous
- Most proviruses in people are defective and cannot make infectious virus.
- Distinguishing intact from defective proviruses helps prioritize targets for cure strategies.