**10. Conclusions**

The HAART has played its crucial role in curtailing the HIV pandemic so far. However, its inability to eliminate the infection and the rise of resistant mutants is a fundamental challenge. This has initiated the frantic search for novel compounds and strategies to counteract HIV. Desperate measures have resulted in the discovery of a plethora of anti-retroviral compounds and strategies, but none could be unanimously agreed upon as completely reliable. The much hyped functional cure concept has taken a big blow with the occurrence of rebound viremia in the Mississippi baby. Moreso, studies to replicate the sterilizing cure of the Berlin patient have provided disappointing results. Despite the development of various novel antiviral compounds, HIV is well set before-hand to readily evolve and overcome all anti-viral actions. Novel techniques such as gene therapy, gene editing, RNA interference, anti-retroviral peptides may have sound concepts and appear attractive but in reality they face numerous roadblocks. By virtue of the ability to undergo rapid genetic evolution and the tendency to establish latent reservoirs, HIV has thwarted all the overcoming attempts. Currently, efforts are being stepped-up by scientist globally to overcome the challenges discussed herein, though the strategy(ies) may face limitations today but they still have the potential to achieve the required success of sustained functional cure.
