Mapping the anatomical distribution and persistence of HIV-infected cell clones in tissues: implications for HIV cure strategies

Postmortem studies have identified HIV-infected cells in almost all tissues analyzed, highlighting the importance of studying tissues to gain further insights into HIV persistence and clonality. Sensitive approaches that enable simultaneous analysis of the T-cell receptor and phenotypic traits of HIV-infected clones from matched blood and tissue samples will be key to unravel antigen specificity, as well as the distribution of infected clones across anatomical compartments and their phenotypic plasticity, ultimately facilitating the development of therapeutic strategies.