# Topics and Trends in Most Cited HIV Research and Treatment Papers, Class of 2026

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/hiv-research-and-treatment/2026*

## What topics and trends defined most-cited HIV Research and Treatment research in the Class of 2026?

High-impact HIV research in the Class of 2026 shifted decisively toward broadly neutralizing antibodies, germline-targeting immunogen design, and capsid inhibitors like lenacapavir. Extended-interval regimens with twice-yearly dosing gained rapid traction, while studies on traditional treatment interruption and legacy antiretrovirals saw declining relative representation among top-cited works.

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Field | HIV Research and Treatment |
| Cohort label | Class of 2026 (2024 publications) |
| Papers analyzed | 3,796 |
| Papers ranked | 20 |
| Top topics in ranked papers | Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs), Lenacapavir, HIV-1 capsid, Germline-targeting immunogens |
| Publication window | Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024 |
| Eligibility | Research articles; reviews excluded |
| Citation window | 18 months post-publication |
| 18m citation range | 32–334 |
| Data source | OpenAlex · Retrieved Jul 2026 |
| License | CC BY 4.0 |

## Rankings

| Rank | Title | Authors | Corresponding authors | Affiliation | Journal | 18m citations | DOI |
| ---: | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---: | --- |
| 1 | Twice-Yearly Lenacapavir or Daily F/TAF for HIV Prevention in Cisgender Women | Linda-Gail Bekker, Moupali Das, Quarraisha Abdool Karim, Khatija Ahmed, Joanne Batting, William Brumskine, Katherine Gill, Ishana Harkoo, Manjeetha Jaggernath, Godfrey Kigozi, Noah Kiwanuka, Philip Kotze, Limakatso Lebina, Cheryl E Louw, Moelo Malahleha, Mmatsie Manentsa, Leila E Mansoor, Dhayendre Moodley, Vimla Naicker, Logashvari Naidoo, Megeshinee Naidoo, Gonasagrie Nair, Nkosiphile Ndlovu, Thesla Palanee-Phillips, Ravindre Panchia, Saresha Pillay, Disebo Potloane, Pearl Selepe, Nishanta Singh, Yashna Singh, Elizabeth Spooner, Amy M Ward, Zwelethu Zwane, Ramin Ebrahimi, Yang Zhao, Alexander Kintu, Chris Deaton, Christoph C Carter, Jared M Baeten, Flavia Matovu Kiweewa, PURPOSE 1 Study Team | Linda-Gail Bekker | University of Cape Town, South Africa | New England Journal of Medicine | 334 | 10.1056/nejmoa2407001 |
| 2 | Global, regional, and national burden of HIV/AIDS, 1990–2021, and forecasts to 2050, for 204 countries and territories: the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 | GBD 2021 HIV Collaborators | GBD 2021 HIV Collaborators | University of Washington, United States | The Lancet HIV | 128 | 10.1016/s2352-3018(24)00212-1 |
| 3 | Switch to long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine in virologically suppressed adults with HIV in Africa (CARES): week 48 results from a randomised, multicentre, open-label, non-inferiority trial | Cissy Kityo, Ivan K Mambule, Joseph Musaazi, Simiso Sokhela, Henry Mugerwa, Gilbert Ategeka, Fiona Cresswell, Abraham Siika, Josphat Kosgei, Reena Shah, Logashvari Naidoo, Kimton Opiyo, Caroline Otike, Karlien Möller, Arvind Kaimal, Charity Wambui, Veerle Van Eygen, Perry Mohammed, Fafa Addo Boateng, Nicholas I Paton, CARES trial team | Cissy Kityo | Joint Clinical Research Centre, Uganda | The Lancet Infectious Diseases | 79 | 10.1016/s1473-3099(24)00289-5 |
| 4 | The HIV capsid mimics karyopherin engagement of FG-nucleoporins | C F Dickson, S Hertel, A J Tuckwell, N Li, J Ruan, S C Al-Izzi, N Ariotti, E Sierecki, Y Gambin, R G Morris, G J Towers, T Böcking, D A Jacques | David A. Jacques | University of New South Wales, Australia | Nature | 59 | 10.1038/s41586-023-06969-7 |
| 5 | HIV-1 capsids enter the FG phase of nuclear pores like a transport receptor | Liran Fu, Erika N Weiskopf, Onno Akkermans, Nicholas A Swanson, Shiya Cheng, Thomas U Schwartz, Dirk Görlich | Thomas Schwartz, Dirk Görlich | Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Germany | Nature | 58 | 10.1038/s41586-023-06966-w |
| 6 | mRNA-LNP HIV-1 trimer boosters elicit precursors to broad neutralizing antibodies | Zhenfei Xie, Ying-Cing Lin, Jon M Steichen, Gabriel Ozorowski, Sven Kratochvil, Rashmi Ray, Jonathan L Torres, Alessia Liguori, Oleksandr Kalyuzhniy, Xuesong Wang, John E Warner, Stephanie R Weldon, Gordon A Dale, Kathrin H Kirsch, Usha Nair, Sabyasachi Baboo, Erik Georgeson, Yumiko Adachi, Michael Kubitz, Abigail M Jackson, Sara T Richey, Reid M Volk, Jeong Hyun Lee, Jolene K Diedrich, Thavaleak Prum, Samantha Falcone, Sunny Himansu, Andrea Carfi, John R Yates, James C Paulson, Devin Sok, Andrew B Ward, William R Schief, Facundo D Batista | Zhenfei Xie, Ying‐Cing Lin, Jon M. Steichen, Gabriel Ozorowski, Andrew B. Ward, William R. Schief, Facundo D. Batista | Ragon Institute, United States | Science | 50 | 10.1126/science.adk0582 |
| 7 | DNA framework signal amplification platform-based high-throughput systemic immune monitoring | Ye Chen, Xingyu Chen, Bowen Zhang, Yuxin Zhang, Songhang Li, Zhiqiang Liu, Yang Gao, Yuxuan Zhao, Lin Yan, Yi Li, Taoran Tian, Yunfeng Lin | Yi Li, Taoran Tian, Yunfeng Lin | Sichuan University, China | Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy | 50 | 10.1038/s41392-024-01736-0 |
| 8 | Safety and antiviral effect of a triple combination of HIV-1 broadly neutralizing antibodies: a phase 1/2a trial | Boris Julg, Victoria E K Walker-Sperling, Kshitij Wagh, Malika Aid, Kathryn E Stephenson, Rebecca Zash, Jinyan Liu, Joseph P Nkolola, Amelia Hoyt, Mike Castro, Leonid Serebryannyy, Katherine Yanosick, Tessa Speidel, Erica N Borducchi, Tetyana Murzda, Lori Maxfield, Roberto Arduino, Adrian B McDermott, Lucio Gama, Elena E Giorgi, Richard A Koup, Michael S Seaman, Charlotte-Paige Rolle, Edwin DeJesus, Wenjun Li, Bette Korber, Dan H Barouch | Boris Jülg, Dan H. Barouch | Ragon Institute, United States | Nature Medicine | 42 | 10.1038/s41591-024-03247-5 |
| 9 | Vaccine priming of rare HIV broadly neutralizing antibody precursors in nonhuman primates | Jon M Steichen, Ivy Phung, Eugenia Salcedo, Gabriel Ozorowski, Jordan R Willis, Sabyasachi Baboo, Alessia Liguori, Christopher A Cottrell, Jonathan L Torres, Patrick J Madden, Krystal M Ma, Henry J Sutton, Jeong Hyun Lee, Oleksandr Kalyuzhniy, Joel D Allen, Oscar L Rodriguez, Yumiko Adachi, Tina-Marie Mullen, Erik Georgeson, Michael Kubitz, Alison Burns, Shawn Barman, Rohini Mopuri, Amanda Metz, Tasha K Altheide, Jolene K Diedrich, Swati Saha, Kaitlyn Shields, Steven E Schultze, Melissa L Smith, Torben Schiffner, Dennis R Burton, Corey T Watson, Steven E Bosinger, Max Crispin, John R Yates, James C Paulson, Andrew B Ward, Devin Sok, Shane Crotty, William R Schief | Jon M. Steichen, Ivy Phung, Eugenia Salcedo, Gabriel Ozorowski, Andrew B. Ward, Devin Sok, Shane Crotty, William R. Schief | The Scripps Research Institute, United States | Science | 41 | 10.1126/science.adj8321 |
| 10 | Immune targeting of HIV-1 reservoir cells: a path to elimination strategies and cure | Marie Armani-Tourret, Benjamin Bone, Toong Seng Tan, Weiwei Sun, Maxime Bellefroid, Tine Struyve, Michael Louella, Xu G Yu, Mathias Lichterfeld | Mathias Lichterfeld | Brigham and Women's Hospital, United States | Nature Reviews Microbiology | 39 | 10.1038/s41579-024-01010-8 |
| 11 | HepB-CpG vs HepB-Alum Vaccine in People With HIV and Prior Vaccine Nonresponse | Kristen M Marks, Minhee Kang, Triin Umbleja, Andrea Cox, Karen J Vigil, Ngan T Ta, Ayotunde Omoz-Oarhe, Hugo Perazzo, Josphat Kosgei, Timothy Hatlen, Jennifer Price, Leolin Katsidzira, Khuanchai Supparatpinyo, Kevin Knowles, Beverly L Alston-Smith, Parita Rathod, Kenneth E Sherman, ACTG 5379 (BEe-HIVe) Study Team | Kristen M Marks | Weill Cornell Medicine, United States | JAMA | 39 | 10.1001/jama.2024.24490 |
| 12 | Sustained HIV remission after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with wild-type CCR5 donor cells | Asier Sáez-Cirión, Anne-Claire Mamez, Véronique Avettand-Fenoel, Mitja Nabergoj, Caroline Passaes, Paul Thoueille, Laurent Decosterd, Maxime Hentzien, Federico Perdomo-Celis, Maria Salgado, Monique Nijhuis, Adeline Mélard, Elise Gardiennet, Valérie Lorin, Valérie Monceaux, Anaïs Chapel, Maël Gourvès, Marine Lechartier, Hugo Mouquet, Annemarie Wensing, Javier Martinez-Picado, Sabine Yerly, Mathieu Rougemont, Alexandra Calmy | Asier Sáez‐Cirión, Alexandra Calmy | Institut Pasteur, France | Nature Medicine | 38 | 10.1038/s41591-024-03277-z |
| 13 | Vaccination induces broadly neutralizing antibody precursors to HIV gp41 | Torben Schiffner, Ivy Phung, Rashmi Ray, Adriana Irimia, Ming Tian, Olivia Swanson, Jeong Hyun Lee, Chang-Chun D Lee, Ester Marina-Zárate, So Yeon Cho, Jiachen Huang, Gabriel Ozorowski, Patrick D Skog, Andreia M Serra, Kimmo Rantalainen, Joel D Allen, Sabyasachi Baboo, Oscar L Rodriguez, Sunny Himansu, Jianfu Zhou, Jonathan Hurtado, Claudia T Flynn, Katherine McKenney, Colin Havenar-Daughton, Swati Saha, Kaitlyn Shields, Steven Schultze, Melissa L Smith, Chi-Hui Liang, Laura Toy, Simone Pecetta, Ying-Cing Lin, Jordan R Willis, Fabian Sesterhenn, Daniel W Kulp, Xiaozhen Hu, Christopher A Cottrell, Xiaoya Zhou, Jennifer Ruiz, Xuesong Wang, Usha Nair, Kathrin H Kirsch, Hwei-Ling Cheng, Jillian Davis, Oleksandr Kalyuzhniy, Alessia Liguori, Jolene K Diedrich, Julia T Ngo, Vanessa Lewis, Nicole Phelps, Ryan D Tingle, Skye Spencer, Erik Georgeson, Yumiko Adachi, Michael Kubitz, Saman Eskandarzadeh, Marc A Elsliger, Rama R Amara, Elise Landais, Bryan Briney, Dennis R Burton, Diane G Carnathan, Guido Silvestri, Corey T Watson, John R Yates, James C Paulson, Max Crispin, Gevorg Grigoryan, Andrew B Ward, Devin Sok, Frederick W Alt, Ian A Wilson, Facundo D Batista, Shane Crotty, William R Schief | Ian A. Wilson, Facundo D. Batista, Shane Crotty, William R. Schief | The Scripps Research Institute, United States | Nature Immunology | 36 | 10.1038/s41590-024-01833-w |
| 14 | Viral Suppression Rates at 48 Weeks in People With HIV Starting Long-Acting Cabotegravir/Rilpivirine With Initial Viremia | Matthew D Hickey, Nathanael Gistand, Janet Grochowski, Francis Mayorga-Munoz, Elizabeth Imbert, John D Szumowski, Jon Oskarsson, Mary Shiels, Samantha Dilworth, Ayesha Appa, Diane V Havlir, Monica Gandhi, Katerina Christopoulos | Matthew D. Hickey | University of California, San Francisco, United States | Clinical Infectious Diseases | 36 | 10.1093/cid/ciae500 |
| 15 | Virological Failure After Switch to Long-Acting Cabotegravir and Rilpivirine Injectable Therapy: An In-depth Analysis | Berend J van Welzen, Steven F L Van Lelyveld, Gerjanne Ter Beest, Jet H Gisolf, Suzanne E Geerlings, Jan M Prins, Gitte Van Twillert, Cees Van Nieuwkoop, Marc Van der Valk, David Burger, Annemarie M J Wensing | Berend J. van Welzen | University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands | Clinical Infectious Diseases | 35 | 10.1093/cid/ciae016 |
| 16 | Vaccine induction of CD4-mimicking HIV-1 broadly neutralizing antibody precursors in macaques | Kevin O Saunders, James Counts, Bhishem Thakur, Victoria Stalls, Robert Edwards, Kartik Manne, Xiaozhi Lu, Katayoun Mansouri, Yue Chen, Rob Parks, Maggie Barr, Laura Sutherland, Joena Bal, Nicholas Havill, Haiyan Chen, Emily Machiele, Nolan Jamieson, Bhavna Hora, Megan Kopp, Katarzyna Janowska, Kara Anasti, Chuancang Jiang, Elizabeth Van Itallie, Sravani Venkatayogi, Amanda Eaton, Rory Henderson, Christopher Barbosa, S Munir Alam, Sampa Santra, Drew Weissman, M Anthony Moody, Derek W Cain, Ying K Tam, Mark Lewis, Wilton B Williams, Kevin Wiehe, David C Montefiori, Priyamvada Acharya, Barton F Haynes | Kevin O Saunders | Duke University School of Medicine, United States | Cell | 34 | 10.1016/j.cell.2023.12.002 |
| 17 | The CARD8 inflammasome dictates HIV/SIV pathogenesis and disease progression | Qiankun Wang, Kolin M Clark, Ritudhwaj Tiwari, Nagarajan Raju, Gregory K Tharp, Jeffrey Rogers, R Alan Harris, Muthuswamy Raveendran, Steven E Bosinger, Tricia H Burdo, Guido Silvestri, Liang Shan | Liang Shan | Washington University School of Medicine, United States | Cell | 34 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.01.048 |
| 18 | Vaccine induction of heterologous HIV-1-neutralizing antibody B cell lineages in humans | Wilton B Williams, S Munir Alam, Gilad Ofek, Nathaniel Erdmann, David C Montefiori, Michael S Seaman, Kshitij Wagh, Bette Korber, Robert J Edwards, Katayoun Mansouri, Amanda Eaton, Derek W Cain, Mitchell Martin, JongIn Hwang, Aria Arus-Altuz, Xiaozhi Lu, Fangping Cai, Nolan Jamieson, Robert Parks, Maggie Barr, Andrew Foulger, Kara Anasti, Parth Patel, Salam Sammour, Ruth J Parsons, Xiao Huang, Jared Lindenberger, Susan Fetics, Katarzyna Janowska, Aurelie Niyongabo, Benjamin M Janus, Anagh Astavans, Christopher B Fox, Ipsita Mohanty, Tyler Evangelous, Yue Chen, Madison Berry, Helene Kirshner, Elizabeth Van Itallie, Kevin O Saunders, Kevin Wiehe, Kristen W Cohen, M Juliana McElrath, Lawrence Corey, Priyamvada Acharya, Stephen R Walsh, Lindsey R Baden, Barton F Haynes | Wilton B. Williams, S. Munir Alam, Stephen R. Walsh, Lindsey R. Baden, Barton F. Haynes | Duke University, United States | Cell | 33 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.04.033 |
| 19 | Neuroinflammation generated by HIV-infected microglia promotes dysfunction and death of neurons in human brain organoids | Weili Kong, Julie Frouard, Guorui Xie, Michael J Corley, Ekram Helmy, Gang Zhang, Roland Schwarzer, Mauricio Montano, Peter Sohn, Nadia R Roan, Lishomwa C Ndhlovu, Li Gan, Warner C Greene | Warner C. Greene | Gladstone, United States | PNAS Nexus | 32 | 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae179 |
| 20 | Mosaic HIV-1 vaccine regimen in southern African women (Imbokodo/HVTN 705/HPX2008): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2b trial | Glenda E Gray, Kathryn Mngadi, Ludo Lavreys, Steven Nijs, Peter B Gilbert, John Hural, Ollivier Hyrien, Michal Juraska, Alex Luedtke, Philipp Mann, M Juliana McElrath, Jackline A Odhiambo, Daniel J Stieh, Janine van Duijn, Azwidihwi N Takalani, Wouter Willems, Asa Tapley, Georgia D Tomaras, Johan Van Hoof, Hanneke Schuitemaker, Edith Swann, Dan H Barouch, James G Kublin, Lawrence Corey, Maria G Pau, Susan Buchbinder, Frank Tomaka, Imbokodo/HVTN 705/HPX2008 Study Group | Glenda Gray | South African Medical Research Council, South Africa | The Lancet Infectious Diseases | 32 | 10.1016/s1473-3099(24)00358-x |

## Topic trends

### What Topics Define the Class of 2026?

High-impact HIV research in the Class of 2026 centers on advanced biomedical interventions, structural virology, and next-generation vaccine design. Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) dominate the field with a 22% presence among top-cited publications, reflecting intense focus on passive immunization and long-term viral suppression strategies. Parallel breakthroughs in capsid-targeted therapeutics, headlined by lenacapavir and investigations into HIV-1 capsid stability, highlight a pivotal shift toward ultra-long-acting regimens and novel viral entry inhibition mechanisms.

Structural biology and immunology further shape the core landscape, with germline-targeting immunogens and HIV-1 Envelope glycoprotein dynamics driving rational HIV vaccine engineering. Researchers are increasingly dissecting B cell lineage development, affinity maturation, and somatic hypermutation to elicit potent neutralisers against viral diversity. Simultaneously, mechanistic insights into HIV nuclear entry and nuclear pore complex interactions illuminate early post-entry events critical for therapeutic targeting. Together, these thematic clusters demonstrate a dual focus: expanding real-world long-acting antiretroviral modalities while unraveling structural vulnerabilities to achieve durable HIV remission and preventive immunity.

*Leading research themes*

### How Did Topics Shift from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026?

The transition from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026 reveals a significant pivot toward preventative immunogen engineering and ultra-long-acting therapeutic platforms. The most dramatic surge occurred in germline-targeting immunogens, ascending from zero mentions in the 2025 cohort to 12% in 2026, paired with rapid growth in affinity maturation and somatic hypermutation concepts. Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) also experienced a nearly fourfold rise (6% to 22%), underscoring a major migration toward antibody-mediated prevention and cure strategies.

In antiviral therapeutics, lenacapavir and twice-yearly dosing expanded substantially, establishing long-acting injectable regimens as dominant clinical translational themes. Conversely, conventional therapeutic categories saw waning attention among top-cited literature: interest in routine treatment interruption decreased (12% to 8%), while classical antiretrovirals like rilpivirine and CD8+ T cell response analyses contracted significantly. Overall, high-impact HIV research has reoriented away from legacy antiretroviral management toward precision immunogen design, capsid inhibition, and extended-interval dosing paradigms.

*How topics shifted year over year*

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited HIV Research and Treatment Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/hiv-research-and-treatment/2026. Accessed 2026-07-21.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
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