Episode 81 - Progress in HIV Cure Research: Can a Single Shot Deliver a Functional Cure? - Dr Steven Deeks (June 30, 2026)

In episode 81 of Going anti-Viral, Dr Steven Deeks joins host Dr Michael Saag to discuss recent research demonstrating the promise of a single shot in a functional cure of HIV. Dr Deeks is a Professor of Medicine in Residence at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and is a faculty member in the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. He is an internationally recognized expert on HIV pathogenesis and treatment and is the contact principal investigator of the Delaney AIDS Research Enterprise (DARE), an NIH-funded international collaboratory aimed at developing therapeutic interventions to cure HIV infection. Dr Deeks and Dr Saag discuss why a cure for HIV is needed given the effectiveness antiretroviral therapy. Dr Deeks then outlines areas of research demonstrating promise for single-shot functional cures: vector immunotherapy, the use of Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cells, and stem cell approaches. Finally, Dr Deeks provides insights into future prospects in HIV cure research including his perspective on the funding and drug development landscape.