These observations closely mirror human studies in other settings that have found a correlation between in vivo CD8+ T cell proliferative responses in the blood and/or the presence of a larger responding TCF-1+ CD8+ T cell population and positive clinical outcomes (e.g., SARS-CoV-2 clearance47,48 or cancer response to immunotherapy49,50 In this light, the results of this study support continued efforts towards optimizing therapeutics to promote effective T cell control of HIV. This evidence concerns the gene CD8A and cancer.