UNC Study Finds Drug That Awakens Dormant HIV in Immune Cells

Citarinostat drug disrupts latent HIV reservoirs, bringing researchers closer to virus eradication.

Apr. 11, 2026 at 4:04am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A translucent, ghostly X-ray image of a human immune cell, with the internal structures glowing faintly and a sense of energy and activation within the cell.An X-ray view into the inner workings of an immune cell, revealing the hidden mechanisms that HIV exploits to remain dormant and evade detection.San Diego Today

Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have discovered that the drug citarinostat can effectively disrupt latent HIV reservoirs in immune cells, a critical step towards eradicating the virus. The study, published in Science Advances, found that citarinostat targets a previously underappreciated genetic process called histone decrotonylation that allows HIV to evade the immune system.

Why it matters

Even with effective antiretroviral therapy, HIV can hide in latent reservoirs in the body, causing the virus to potentially reactivate if treatment is stopped. Disrupting these latent reservoirs is a key goal for HIV cure research, and the discovery of citarinostat as a promising drug to achieve this represents an important advancement.

The details

The research team, led by Guochun Jiang, PhD, from the UNC HIV Cure Center, found that citarinostat selectively stops histone decrotonylation, a genetic process that allows HIV to remain dormant and undetected by the immune system. By disrupting this process, citarinostat was able to force HIV-infected immune cells out of latency, making them more vulnerable to immune system attack and eradication.

  • The study findings were published in the journal Science Advances in April 2026.

The players

Guochun Jiang, PhD

An assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the UNC School of Medicine and a member of the UNC HIV Cure Center, who led the research study.

UNC HIV Cure Center

A research center at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine focused on finding a cure for HIV.

University of California - San Diego

Contributed to the study through the "Last Gift Program" which provided brain tissue samples.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Disruption is the first step required for the so-called 'kick and kill' approach aimed at the eradication of latent HIV reservoirs. Our study highlights a promising class of drugs that can agitate and force HIV-infected immune cells to come out of latency and be attacked by the immune system.”

— Guochun Jiang, PhD, Assistant Professor, UNC School of Medicine

What’s next

Researchers plan to continue studying citarinostat and other drugs that target histone decrotonylation, with the goal of developing new therapies that can fully eradicate latent HIV reservoirs.

The takeaway

This breakthrough discovery of citarinostat's ability to disrupt latent HIV reservoirs represents a significant step forward in HIV cure research, providing new hope for eventually eliminating the virus from infected individuals.