Published on June 15, 2025
In a major scientific milestone, Australian researchers at Melbourne’s world-leading Doherty Institute have made a breakthrough that could change the future of HIV treatment - and possibly bring us closer to a cure.
Using the same mRNA technology that helped create COVID-19 vaccines, the team has developed a novel method to target the virus in its hidden state - a global first that offers new hope to the nearly 40 million people living with HIV around the world.
Why Current HIV Treatments Fall Short
While modern antiretroviral treatments can successfully suppress HIV and allow people to live long, healthy lives, they cannot eliminate the virus entirely. That’s because HIV hides in dormant form within white blood cells, making it invisible to the immune system and untouchable by current treatments.
These hidden cells, known as the HIV reservoir, have remained one of the biggest barriers to curing the disease - until now.
Reaching the Dormant Virus with mRNA
In an interview with News Australia, Dr Michael Roche, a Senior Research Fellow at the Doherty Institute, explained how the new therapy works. His team used synthetic mRNA enclosed in lipid nanoparticles - tiny fat-like particles designed to travel to infected cells and deliver genetic instructions.
“Tat is a protein that helps the virus ‘wake up’ when it wants to,” Dr Roche said. “Here we are using Tat to wake the virus up when we want to.”
Once the mRNA reaches the infected cells, it triggers them to produce the HIV protein Tat, effectively “waking up” the virus. This technique is part of a strategy known as “shock and kill” — activating the virus while the patient is on HIV medication, preventing it from spreading and allowing the immune system or future therapies to destroy it.
First-Ever mRNA Activation of HIV in a Lab
This marks the first time that mRNA has been used to successfully reach and activate the dormant HIV reservoir in a lab setting. The team will now move on to testing in animal models to assess safety and effectiveness.
“We are looking for two signals,” Dr Roche said. “Firstly, safety. Secondly, efficacy - whether it can wake up dormant HIV in animals.”
If successful, the treatment could proceed to human clinical trials in the coming years. These will test both the safety of the approach and its potential to clear the virus from the body.
Built on Proven COVID Vaccine Tech
One of the most promising aspects of this research is that it uses the same foundation as COVID-19 vaccines - mRNA and lipid nanoparticles — which have already been shown to be scalable and deliverable worldwide.
“Our therapeutic is based on the same technology used in the COVID vaccines,” Dr Roche said. “And now, with new mRNA facilities like the one being set up by BioNTech in Rwanda, there’s real potential to expand production to areas most affected by HIV.”
Accessibility remains a top priority for the team. “We are committed to ensuring any cures we develop are scalable, accessible and affordable,” Dr Roche added.
Australia’s Progress in the HIV Battle
In Australia, about 29,000 people are currently living with HIV. Thanks to increased testing, treatment access, and the widespread use of PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), new infections have declined significantly over the last decade.
2022 saw the lowest number of new HIV diagnoses in more than 20 years. Though there was a slight increase in 2023, mainly among individuals born overseas and via heterosexual transmission, the long-term outlook remains positive.
A Future Without HIV?
While the breakthrough is still in its early stages, the potential is profound. If future trials succeed, people living with HIV might no longer need daily medication — and could even achieve complete viral eradication.
As the world searches for a cure, Australia is once again at the forefront of global health innovation. This bold step by the Doherty Institute could help turn the dream of ending HIV into a reality.
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