More on the reservoir. The AGING cohort in Argentina (defined as 50 or older!!!) looked at total DNA and pro-inflammatory cytokine profiles longitudinally over 1 year.
No changes but a short follow up time. I’d be interested in following this cohort over time w longer follow up analyses
#IAS2025
This #IAS2025 poster looked at the #HIV reservoir in the Rakai cohort Uganda, measured w QVOA. As we know, QVOA < total HIV DNA.
Interestingly QVOA doubled over 5 years for women in the cohort pre- and post-menopause.
More evidence that female sex hormones impact reservoir. IPDA data coming
Always an excellent and engaging speaker Katie Bar, #IAS2025 Track A rapporteur summarises 3 days packed with science in 14 minutes.
What an amazing job! Check out the recording for a really nice overview of the basic sciences presented here in Kigali
Qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys on mental health, decision making certainty, self esteem and resilience were performed at multiple timepoints on the FRESH cohort participants.
The investigators stress the importance of conducting mental health assessments throughout these trials
#HIVcure in the poster hall at #IAS2035 on Thursday!
Social & behavioural research done as part of FRESH cohort #ATI study in Africa. So important to include this work w the biomedical analysis.
Family & partners of study participants underwent in-depth interviews - concerns raised abt risks
🕯️ 11 years ago, 298 lives were lost on #MH17, including IAS President Joep Lange & IAS Members Jacqueline van Tongeren, Pim de Kuijer, Martine de Schutter, Lucie van Mens & Glenn Thomas – on their way to #AIDS2014.
We continue to honour their legacy through our work.
Modified IPDA (because of the lentiviral vector) demonstrated sustained reduction in intact provirus even if plasma viral load increased and necessitated restart ART
AGT-103-T: autologous gene modified CD4 T cells via lentiviral vectors
#HIVcure clinical trial with #ATI - increased and sustained T cell expansion and on second ATI smaller viral rebound and quicker resuppression.
Rebound virus from participants of the PULSE study #ATI was sequences and IMAP peptides are found in 90-100%
Their peptide pool able to trigger immune responses in transient virus controllers, response varies between donors
More from @westmeadinst.bsky.social at #IAS2025 at the cutting edge Basic Science session
Josefina Marin presents on IMAP (immunoinformatic analysis pipeline) which selects peptides found within >85% Los Alamos database) - known as IMAP peptides.
All and primary endpoints of viral rebound at 20-24 weeks. When long acting bNAbs will still be circulating.
The studies that have presented #ATI data have shown distinct patterns of rebound
- quick
- delayed
- vascilating with some control
So there have been a few #HIVcure clinical trials recently w dual long acting bNAbs 3bnc117+101074
-RIO: acute treated all male cohort mainly subtype B, Europe
-FRESH: acute Rx, + VES, all female, SSA
-Caskey study: chronic Rx + N803, USA
-PAUSE: SSA majority female no bNAb sensitivity screening
A really nice summary of where CAR-T cell therapy in #HIVcure is at.
Briefly - promising but a while to go to address issues including lack of HIV antigens in PLWH on ART
I’ll be coming back to relisten to this talk!
Several strategies explored to improve CAR-T cell activity in HIV
Challenges in CAR-T cell therapy for #HIvcure and opportunities to address these issues
CAR-T cells are hot right now in #HIVcure science. These cells can engineered to recognise HIV antigens to be used as a “shock & kill” agent.
Fabulous summary of where we are at with CAR-T at #IAS2025
Currently studied in a few phase I safety clinical trials.
#IAS2025
ICHESA study looking at NK cell function in elite controller compared to non-controllers
Elite controllers have distinct NK cell profiles and understanding mechanisms of immunological control in elite controllers can teach us a lot for #HIVcure
N=32 majority female
16 reviewed by safety monitoring committee and 2/3 had experienced viral rebound by week 12.
Possibly indicating subtype C virus not sensitive to the bNAbs?
Study stopped enrolment as per pre-specified criteria. Further virology immunology and reservoir data to follow
Another #HIVcure #ATI study from Southern Africa: PAUSE study a 3bnc117 & 101074 LS-J versions.
bNAb screening NOT conducted pre-enrolment
Primary endpoint again is viral rebound at 24w when therapeutic bNAb levels are still circulating - like RIO & Marina Caskey’s bNAb study presented yesterday
In the immunological control for #HIVcure session at #IAS2025, my friend @jespergunst.bsky.social presents beautifully about what we know & what we don’t know about predictors of post treatment control & post intervention control with a shout out to the HIV reservoirs consortium.
Poster for the FRESH cohort ATI study mentioned at the #IAS2025 #HIVcure preconference.
Single arm toll like receptor agonist + 2 bNAbs w ATI in acute treated women w HIV
This poster looked at VES pharmacodynamics and immune activation.
Whoops what did I do to my photo???
Here is the poster
Implications for #HIVcure?
TB/HIV is an incredibly common coinfection and we need to understand sites and mechanisms of persistence if we are to address barriers to a cure
Study from Aus 🇦🇺🐨🦘 in the poster hall #IAS2025
Our friends at @westmeadinst.bsky.social looked at cells from blood & pleural effusion fluid from people w HIV w active pleural TB.
TB coinfection impairs HIV specific CD8 T cells causing more genetically intact provirus in pleural effusion cells.
#HIVcure in the poster hall at #IAS2025 on Wednesday
This poster from Duke Transplant Centre highlights the HOPE Act in USA: 500 transplants in PLWH receiving organ transplants from HIV+ donors.
This is a rich opportunity to biobank discarded lymphoid tissue from the operation for research
Of note, one death from depression-related suicide >3 years post #ATI.
No differences found between cohorts for CD4 & CD8 trajectories, viral blips, adverse events, or “mood outcomes”.
No reservoir work done or HIV specific immune responses. I would like to see time to viral resuppression data somewhere but assuming everyone resuppressed on ART restart
#HIVcure in the poster hall on Tuesday at #IAS2025
This Thai cohort started on ART very very early in #HIV infection - Fiebig stage I-V.
5 years after brief ATI clinical and psychosocial outcomes were compared b/w those who underwent #ATI vs those who declined to do so
Gus Valen in the innovative virology section - from DIPS to TIPS.
His team engineered a therapeutic from a natural process that causes viral load vascilations in plasma.
Tested in monkey model - single dose TIPS led to lower viral set point.
Track A #IAS2025