The major obstacle to reaching a cure for HIV is establishing a persistent latent reservoir that is unaffected by current HIV treatment regimens and causes viral rebound upon therapy cessation. Over the past years, digital PCR (dPCR) methods gained rapid interest in accurately measuring and monitoring the (intact) HIV reservoir size, especially in the context of clinical trials, which aim to determine reservoir dynamics or changes upon curative treatment challenges.

Here, Dr. Trypsteen will present the combination of up to five HIV assays into a single “rainbow” dPCR reaction and evaluate its benefits and technical performance on cell line and patient-derived samples. These assays can increase the information retrieved from a single dPCR readout over the current existing assays, reducing cost and time and improving the estimation of the intact latent HIV reservoir, which is the origin and cause of viral rebound.