Venetoclax Reduces Intact SIV Reservoir in Macaques

Overview

• The Emory study, published Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, reported that a short course of the cancer drug venetoclax given at antiretroviral therapy (ART) start cut intact SIV DNA in macaque CD4+ T cells.
• Researchers infected 24 rhesus macaques, began ART 14 days after infection, gave 10 daily doses of venetoclax to some animals, and followed them for nearly 10 months, finding reduced intact viral DNA sustained through day 294.
• The effect was real but incomplete: cells that persisted after treatment showed higher levels of anti-apoptotic proteins BCL-2 and BCL-xL and lower levels of the pro-apoptotic protein PUMA, indicating compensatory survival pathways.
• The study did not stop ART to test viral rebound, so it remains unknown whether venetoclax delays or prevents return of virus off treatment; Emory says two early human trials of venetoclax in people with HIV are under way.
• Investigators plan longer dosing and mechanistic work to overcome resistance, but translation to people will require tests of safety, optimal dose and proof that reservoir cuts translate into delayed or absent rebound.