ART + chidamide

ART + chidamide refers to the combination of standard antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV infection with chidamide, a selective histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi). Chidamide targets HDAC1, 2, 3 (Class I), and HDAC10 (Class IIb), leading to epigenetic modulation. In the context of HIV treatment, this combination is being investigated as a strategy to activate latent HIV reservoirs ("shock and kill" approach) in patients who have achieved virological suppression on ART. The rationale is that reactivating latent virus with chidamide may expose infected cells to immune clearance while maintaining viral suppression with ART. Clinical studies have shown that this regimen can increase cell-associated HIV RNA transiently without significant safety concerns[1][3][4][6]. Chidamide is also known as tucidinostat.