Small Study Shows One-Time Cell Therapy Can Control HIV Infection
Two participants stayed in remission for 92 and 48 weeks after engineered immune cells were infused, offering proof of concept for a functional HIV cure.
- On Tuesday, researchers reported that two study participants suppressed HIV to undetectable levels for nearly two years following a single infusion of engineered immune cells, led by Dr. Steve Deeks, HIV expert at the University of California, San Francisco.
- Scientists at the nonprofit Caring Cross developed these 'living drugs' by extracting immune cells and genetically engineering them with dual features to recognize and kill HIV while preventing the immune cells themselves from becoming infected.
- While one participant partially suppressed the virus for 12 weeks before rebounding, the study offers a 'proof of concept' that could dramatically alter treatment; Dr. Hans-Peter Kiem, oncologist and gene therapy expert at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, noted direct injections could be produced for less than $10,000.
- Dr. Mike McCune, head of a division at the Gates Foundation, stated that 'these n-of-ones are so powerful because they encourage further research,' while Andrea Gramatica, vice president for research at The Foundation for AIDS Research, added the strategy is exciting because it is 'boosting what our body, our immune system, can already do.'
- More than 40 million people live with HIV worldwide, and while this therapy remains years from widespread availability, researchers plan to begin a larger study later this year to refine tools for a scalable cure.
43 Articles
43 Articles
New study shows gene therapy could be HIV cure
The New York Times is reporting that a single infusion could suppress HIV for years. This gene therapy uses the same technology that has been developing for the past 10 years to treat some cancers by modifying a patient’s own immune cells to recognize and kill malignant cells. In a new study, two people have remained at undetectable levels of HIV two years after an infusion. The goal is for the therapy to last a lifetime, but is years away from …
Associated Press News
Small study hints that revving up immune cells might help fight HIV
Scientists are supercharging patients' own immune cells to try to fight HIV without today's drugs. A small study is giving a hint that CAR-T cell therapy, already used for some cancers, might eventually work for HIV.
A team of scientists claim to have created an injection that could suppress HIV for years. Researchers claim that, after a single infusion of genetically modified immune cells to recognize the virus, two people who participated in their study managed to suppress HIV at undetectable levels, one of them for nearly two years. Their findings will be presented this week at a conference in Boston, which is organized by the American Society of Gene and…
Can a single infusion of immune cells suppress HIV for years?
A new treatment regimen helping patients with blood cancer could be effective in suppressing HIV.Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco told The New York Times that two individuals in a trial saw HIV presence lower to undetectable levels following an experimental infusion of engineered immune cells. Detailed data on findings will soon be presented in full to the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy in Boston.While the …
Small study shows one-time cell therapy can control HIV infection
Re-engineering an HIV patient's own immune cells to find and destroy the virus succeeded in controlling the infection in a small first-in-human study, but researchers said work is needed to confirm the findings and determine which patients are most likely to benefit.
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