This sounds like the street lights making people glow theory.

Basically, the Mayo researchers are injecting key AIDS infection-fighting proteins from monkeys into feline eggs along with a jellyfish gene (the glowing part of all this). That glow gene helps them track whether the transfer has occurred.

Mayo says that "this specific transgenesis (genome modification) approach will not be used directly for treating people with HIV or cats with FIV, but it will help medical and veterinary researchers understand how restriction factors can be used to advance gene therapy for AIDS caused by either virus."

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2011/09/14/140465088/cats-that-glow-for-aids-research-join-list-of-animals-that-shine

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8610949/

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a part of the lentivirus genus of the retroviridae family that incorporates its genome into the host DNA via a series of complex steps. HIV can be classified into two types, HIV-type 1 (HIV-1) and HIV-type 2 (HIV-2), with HIV-1 being the most common type worldwide. Seventy-six million people have been infected since the start of the pandemic, with a mortality rate of 33 million. Even after 40 years, no cure has been developed for this pandemic. The development of the mRNA vaccine has led to further research for the utilization of mRNA vaccine in HIV, in attempts to create a prophylactic and therapeutic treatment. Although messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine has been around for many years, it has recently drawn attention due to its role and response in the unforeseen coronavirus pandemic. mRNA vaccine has faced its fair-share of challenges, but it also offers many advantages compared to conventional vaccines such as safety, efficacy, rapid preparation, and versatility. mRNA vaccine has shown promising results and has great potential. In this review, we discuss the types of mRNA vaccine, along with development, delivery, advantages, challenges, and how we are working to overcome these challenges.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8341208/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8341208/pdf/cureus-0013-00000016197.pdf

The pharmaceutical and biotech company Moderna could begin human clinical trials for two new mRNA-based HIV vaccines as early as September 19, according to a study record posted to the United States National Institutes of Health Clinical Trial registry.

The vaccines will use a mechanism similar to the ground-breaking mRNA system in their Covid-19 vaccine, reports Science Alert’s Fiona Macdonald. The study is expected to take place until May 2023.

For several years, scientists have been researching the effectiveness and potential of mRNA vaccines for cancer treatments and other diseases in animal models. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines were the first mRNA vaccines used in humans. The mRNA vaccines work by giving cells instructions to make bits of the same proteins on a virus’s outer shell. The proteins then prime immune cells to recognize and destroy the virus, reports Sarah Chodosh for Popular Science.

Researchers suspect multiple vaccines will be needed to generate an immune response strong enough to protect against HIV. HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is a retrovirus that attacks the body’s immune system. It’s difficult to prevent because it has a spike-like protein coated in a sugar-like residue that allows it to hide from antibodies when it enters the body, per Samuel Lovett for the Independent. Currently, there is no cure for HIV, only treatments that slow its progression.

Creating a vaccine that targets HIV is challenging because the retrovirus become part of the human genome 72 hours after transmission. To prevent infection, high levels of neutralizing antibodies must be present at the time of transmission, per Popular Science.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/moderna-begin-human-trials-two-experimental-hiv-vaccines-180978521/

https://medicalveritas.org/covid-19-hiv-spike-protein-confirms-lab-virus/

More than 35 million people worldwide are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Once in the body, HIV attacks and destroys immune cells, which normally protect the body from infection. Current treatments help to prevent the virus from multiplying. However, scientists haven’t yet designed a vaccine that can protect people from HIV.

A major target for potential HIV vaccines is a spike-shaped virus protein known as Env. Env extends from the surface of the HIV virus particle. The protein is “trimeric”—with 3 cap-like subunits called glycoprotein 120 (gp120) and 3 stem-like subunits called glycoprotein 41 (gp41) that anchor Env in the viral membrane. Env adopts different shapes before and after the virus fuses with a cell. In its closed, pre-fusion state, Env can evade immune system attack. Antibodies to this closed state have been found, but designing an effective vaccine that prompts the immune system to generate such antibodies has been a challenge.

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/structure-dynamics-hiv-surface-spikes