Teaching the immune system to control HIV
There is no cure for HIV. While scientists have made considerable progress in controlling the infection, patients still must take daily antiretroviral medication for the rest of their lives. Results from a clinical trial led by Rockefeller, Imperial College London, and the University of Oxford (RIO) have offered a new strategy, suggesting that just one or two doses of broadly neutralizing…
Researchers have developed a new approach to potentially treat HIV using a combination of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) and the patient's own immune response. In a clinical trial led by Rockefeller University, Imperial College London, and the University of Oxford, participants who received two doses of bNAbs saw their virus levels drop to undetectable levels for months to years.
Genetic analysis revealed that participants who had natural antibodies against HIV were better able to control the virus, suggesting that their immune response worked alongside the bNAbs. The antibodies appear to be teaching the immune system to control HIV, working together to suppress the virus. Antiretroviral therapy can keep the virus at low levels, but it cannot eliminate the dormant viral reservoir.
The bNAbs may help accelerate the decline of this reservoir, potentially paving the way for an HIV cure.
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