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Alum EU, Uti DE, Ugwu OPC, Alum BN. Toward a cure - Advancing HIV/AIDs treatment modalities beyond antiretroviral therapy: A Review. Medicine (Baltimore) 2024; 103:e38768. [PMID: 38968496 PMCID: PMC11224816 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000038768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Antiretroviral therapy, also known as antiretroviral therapy (ART), has been at the forefront of the ongoing battle against human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDs). ART is effective, but it has drawbacks such as side effects, medication resistance, and difficulty getting access to treatment, which highlights the urgent need for novel treatment approaches. This review explores the complex field of HIV/AIDS treatment, covering both established alternative treatment modalities and orthodox antiretroviral therapy. Numerous reliable databases were reviewed, including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The results of a thorough literature search revealed numerous therapeutic options, including stem cell transplantation, immunotherapy, gene therapy, latency reversal agents, and pharmaceutical vaccinations. While gene therapy has promise for altering cellular resistance to infection and targeting HIV-positive cells, immunotherapy treatments seek to strengthen the immune system's ability to combat HIV. Latency reversal agents offer a promising method of breaking the viral latency and making infected cells vulnerable to immune system destruction or antiretroviral drugs. Furthermore, there is potential for improving immune responses against HIV using medical vaccinations. This review stresses the vital significance of ongoing research and innovation in the hunt for a successful HIV/AIDS treatment through a thorough examination of recent developments and lingering challenges. The assessment notes that even though there has been tremendous progress in treating the illness, there is still more work to be done in addressing current barriers and investigating various treatment options in order to achieve the ultimate objective of putting an end to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther Ugo Alum
- Department of Research and Publications, Kampala International University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Daniel Ejim Uti
- Department of Research and Publications, Kampala International University, Kampala, Uganda
| | | | - Benedict Nnachi Alum
- Department of Research and Publications, Kampala International University, Kampala, Uganda
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Corbacioglu S, Frangoul H, Locatelli F, Hobbs W, Walters M. Defining curative endpoints for transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia in the era of gene therapy and gene editing. Am J Hematol 2024; 99:422-429. [PMID: 38100154 DOI: 10.1002/ajh.27166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
β-thalassemia is a monogenic disease that results in varying degrees of anemia. In the most severe form, known as transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia (TDT), the clinical hallmarks are ineffective erythropoiesis and a requirement of regular, life-long red blood cell transfusions, with the development of secondary clinical complications such as iron overload, end-organ damage, and a risk of early mortality. With the exception of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, current treatments for TDT address disease symptoms and not the underlying cause of disease. Recently, a growing number of gene addition and gene editing-based treatments for patients with TDT with the potential to provide a one-time functional cure have entered clinical trials. A key challenge in the design and evaluation of these trials is selecting endpoints to evaluate if these novel genetic therapies have a curative versus an ameliorative effect. Here, we present an overview of the pathophysiology of TDT, review emerging gene addition or gene editing therapeutic approaches for TDT currently in clinical trials, and identify a series of endpoints that can quantify therapeutic effects, including a curative outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Haydar Frangoul
- Sarah Cannon Research Institute and the Children's Hospital at TriStar Centennial, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Franco Locatelli
- IRCCS, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino, Gesù Rome, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy
| | - William Hobbs
- Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mark Walters
- Department of Pediatrics, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, Oakland, California, USA
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Schober R, Brandus B, Laeremans T, Iserentant G, Rolin C, Dessilly G, Zimmer J, Moutschen M, Aerts JL, Dervillez X, Seguin-Devaux C. Multimeric immunotherapeutic complexes activating natural killer cells towards HIV-1 cure. J Transl Med 2023; 21:791. [PMID: 37936122 PMCID: PMC10631209 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-023-04669-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has dramatically extended the life expectancy of people living with HIV-1 and improved their quality of life. There is nevertheless no cure for HIV-1 infection since HIV-1 persists in viral reservoirs of latently infected CD4+ T cells. cART does not eradicate HIV-1 reservoirs or restore cytotoxic natural killer (NK) cells which are dramatically reduced by HIV-1 infection, and express the checkpoint inhibitors NKG2A or KIR2DL upregulated after HIV-1 infection. Cytotoxic NK cells expressing the homing receptor CXCR5 were recently described as key subsets controlling viral replication. METHODS We designed and evaluated the potency of "Natural killer activating Multimeric immunotherapeutic compleXes", called as NaMiX, combining multimers of the IL-15/IL-15Rα complex with an anti-NKG2A or an anti-KIR single-chain fragment variable (scFv) to kill HIV-1 infected CD4+ T cells. The oligomerization domain of the C4 binding protein was used to associate the IL-15/IL-15Rα complex to the scFv of each checkpoint inhibitor as well as to multimerize each entity into a heptamer (α form) or a dimer (β form). Each α or β form was compared in different in vitro models using one-way ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey's tests before evaluation in humanized NSG tg-huIL-15 mice having functional NK cells. RESULTS All NaMiX significantly enhanced the cytolytic activity of NK and CD8+ T cells against Raji tumour cells and HIV-1+ ACH-2 cells by increasing degranulation, release of granzyme B, perforin and IFN-γ. Targeting NKG2A had a stronger effect than targeting KIR2DL due to higher expression of NKG2A on NK cells. In viral inhibition assays, NaMiX initially increased viral replication of CD4+ T cells which was subsequently inhibited by cytotoxic NK cells. Importantly, anti-NKG2A NaMiX enhanced activation, cytotoxicity, IFN-γ production and CXCR5 expression of NK cells from HIV-1 positive individuals. In humanized NSG tg-huIL-15 mice, we confirmed enhanced activation, degranulation, cytotoxicity of NK cells, and killing of HIV-1 infected cells from mice injected with the anti-NKG2A.α NaMiX, as compared to control mice, as well as decreased total HIV-1 DNA in the lung. CONCLUSIONS NK cell-mediated killing of HIV-1 infected cells by NaMiX represents a promising approach to support HIV-1 cure strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafaëla Schober
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29, Rue Henri Koch, L-4354, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Bianca Brandus
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29, Rue Henri Koch, L-4354, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Thessa Laeremans
- Neuro-Aging and Viro-Immunotherapy (NAVI) Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1090, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Gilles Iserentant
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29, Rue Henri Koch, L-4354, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Camille Rolin
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29, Rue Henri Koch, L-4354, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Géraldine Dessilly
- AIDS Reference Laboratory, Catholic University of Louvain, Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Jacques Zimmer
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29, Rue Henri Koch, L-4354, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Michel Moutschen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Liège, CHU de Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Joeri L Aerts
- Neuro-Aging and Viro-Immunotherapy (NAVI) Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1090, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Xavier Dervillez
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29, Rue Henri Koch, L-4354, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Carole Seguin-Devaux
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29, Rue Henri Koch, L-4354, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.
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Noorman MAJ, de Wit JBF, Marcos TA, Stutterheim SE, Jonas KJ, den Daas C. The Importance of Social Engagement in the Development of an HIV Cure: A Systematic Review of Stakeholder Perspectives. AIDS Behav 2023; 27:3789-3812. [PMID: 37329470 PMCID: PMC10589186 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-023-04095-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
As research into the development of an HIV cure gains prominence, assessing the perspectives of stakeholders becomes imperative. It empowers stakeholders to determine priorities and influence research processes. We conducted a systematic review of the empirical literature on stakeholder perspectives. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched for empirical, peer-reviewed articles, published before September 2022. Our analysis of 78 papers showed that stakeholders could be divided into three categories: people with HIV, key populations, and professionals. Following thematic synthesis, two main themes were distinguished: stakeholders' perspectives on HIV cure research and stakeholders' perspectives on HIV cure. Research on perspectives on HIV cure research showed that stakeholders' hypothetical willingness to participate (WTP) in HIV cure research was relatively high, while actual WTP was found to be lower. Studies also identified associated (individual) characteristics of hypothetical WTP, as well as facilitators and barriers to hypothetical participation. Additionally, we reported research on experiences of actual HIV cure research participation. Our analysis of stakeholder perceptions of HIV cure showed that most stakeholders preferred a cure that could eliminate HIV and outlined positive associated impacts. Furthermore, we observed that most included studies were conducted among PWHIV, and in the Global North. To empower stakeholders, we recommend that future research include an even greater diversity of stakeholders and incorporate theories of behavior to further explore how stakeholders decide to meaningfully engage in every stage of HIV cure research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maaike A J Noorman
- Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht University, PO Box 80140, 3508 TC, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - John B F de Wit
- Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science, Utrecht University, PO Box 80140, 3508 TC, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Tamika A Marcos
- Department of Work and Social Psychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Sarah E Stutterheim
- Department of Health Promotion and Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Kai J Jonas
- Department of Work and Social Psychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Chantal den Daas
- Institute of Applied Health Sciences, Health Psychology Group, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
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Bonney EY, Lamptey H, Kyei GB. HIV cure: an acceptability scientific agenda. Curr Opin HIV AIDS 2023; 18:12-17. [PMID: 36503877 PMCID: PMC9757853 DOI: 10.1097/coh.0000000000000771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Recent years have seen major investments into HIV cure research, seeking a permanent cure or remission. The purpose of this review is to consider how this important research agenda could be broadened to include issues of acceptability and appropriateness for different populations. RECENT FINDINGS We discuss how the definitions of cure such as functional cure (remission) or complete cure (viral elimination) could be interpreted differently by various populations. We also discuss the different methods of cure and the importance of including Africa in cure research to ensure that emerging remedies could be trialled and utilized on the continent that bears the brunt of the AIDS pandemic. SUMMARY We propose that the social science research of HIV cure acceptability should be done concurrently with the basic and clinical sciences, to ensure that cure methods consider stakeholder preferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelyn Y. Bonney
- Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
| | - Helena Lamptey
- Departments of Medicine and Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - George B. Kyei
- Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
- Departments of Medicine and Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri, USA
- Medical and Scientific Research Center, University of Ghana Medical Center, Accra, Ghana
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Mominur Rahman M, Islam F, Saidur Rahaman M, Sultana NA, Fahim NF, Ahmed M. Studies on the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Bangladesh including other developing countries. ADVANCES IN TRADITIONAL MEDICINE 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s13596-021-00610-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Dubé K, Kanazawa J, Taylor J, Dee L, Jones N, Roebuck C, Sylla L, Louella M, Kosmyna J, Kelly D, Clanton O, Palm D, Campbell DM, Onaiwu MG, Patel H, Ndukwe S, Henley L, Johnson MO, Saberi P, Brown B, Sauceda JA, Sugarman J. Ethics of HIV cure research: an unfinished agenda. BMC Med Ethics 2021; 22:83. [PMID: 34193141 PMCID: PMC8243312 DOI: 10.1186/s12910-021-00651-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The pursuit of a cure for HIV is a high priority for researchers, funding agencies, governments and people living with HIV (PLWH). To date, over 250 biomedical studies worldwide are or have been related to discovering a safe, effective, and scalable HIV cure, most of which are early translational research and experimental medicine. As HIV cure research increases, it is critical to identify and address the ethical challenges posed by this research. Methods We conducted a scoping review of the growing HIV cure research ethics literature, focusing on articles published in English peer-reviewed journals from 2013 to 2021. We extracted and summarized key developments in the ethics of HIV cure research. Twelve community advocates actively engaged in HIV cure research provided input on this summary and suggested areas warranting further ethical inquiry and foresight via email exchange and video conferencing. Discussion Despite substantial scholarship related to the ethics of HIV cure research, additional attention should focus on emerging issues in six categories of ethical issues: (1) social value (ongoing and emerging biomedical research and scalability considerations); (2) scientific validity (study design issues, such as the use of analytical treatment interruptions and placebos); (3) fair selection of participants (equity and justice considerations); (4) favorable benefit/risk balance (early phase research, benefit-risk balance, risk perception, psychological risks, and pediatric research); (5) informed consent (attention to language, decision-making, informed consent processes and scientific uncertainty); and (6) respect for enrolled participants and community (perspectives of people living with HIV and affected communities and representation). Conclusion HIV cure research ethics has an unfinished agenda. Scientific research and bioethics should work in tandem to advance ethical HIV cure research. Because the science of HIV cure research will continue to rapidly advance, ethical considerations of the major themes we identified will need to be revisited and refined over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Dubé
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health, 4108 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7469, USA.
| | - John Kanazawa
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health, 4108 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7469, USA
| | - Jeff Taylor
- HIV + Aging Research Project - Palm Springs (HARP-PS), Palm Springs, CA, USA.,AntiViral Research Center (AVRC) Community Advisory Board (CAB), San Diego, CA, USA.,Collaboratory of AIDS Researchers for Eradication (CARE) CAB, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Lynda Dee
- AIDS Action Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Delaney AIDS Research Enterprise (DARE) Community Advisory Board (CAB), San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Nora Jones
- BEAT-HIV Collaboratory CAB, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Jan Kosmyna
- AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) Community Scientific Subcommittee (CSS) Ethics Working Group, Nationwide, USA
| | - David Kelly
- AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) Community Scientific Subcommittee (CSS) Ethics Working Group, Nationwide, USA
| | - Orbit Clanton
- AIDS Clinical Trials Group Global CAB, Washington, D.C., USA
| | - David Palm
- Collaboratory of AIDS Researchers for Eradication (CARE) CAB, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Institute of Global Health and Infectious Diseases HIV Treatment and Prevention CAB, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Danielle M Campbell
- Delaney AIDS Research Enterprise (DARE) Community Advisory Board (CAB), San Francisco, CA, USA.,Charles R. Drew College of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Morénike Giwa Onaiwu
- AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) Community Scientific Subcommittee (CSS) Ethics Working Group, Nationwide, USA.,Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality (School of Humanities), Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Hursch Patel
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health, 4108 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7469, USA
| | - Samuel Ndukwe
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health, 4108 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7469, USA
| | - Laney Henley
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health, 4108 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7469, USA
| | - Mallory O Johnson
- Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS), Division of Prevention Sciences, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Parya Saberi
- Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS), Division of Prevention Sciences, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Brandon Brown
- Department of Social Medicine, Population and Public Health, Center for Healthy Communities, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - John A Sauceda
- Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS), Division of Prevention Sciences, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jeremy Sugarman
- Johns Hopkins Berman Institute for Bioethics, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Ding J, Liu Y, Lai Y. Knowledge From London and Berlin: Finding Threads to a Functional HIV Cure. Front Immunol 2021; 12:688747. [PMID: 34122453 PMCID: PMC8190402 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.688747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the ability of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) to increase the life expectancy of patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), viral reservoirs persist during life-long treatment. Notably, two cases of functional cure for HIV have been reported and are known as the "Berlin Patient" and the "London Patient". Both patients received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from donors with homozygous CCR5 delta32 mutation for an associated hematological malignancy. Therefore, there is growing interest in creating an HIV-resistant immune system through the use of gene-modified autologous hematopoietic stem cells with non-functional CCR5. Moreover, studies in CXCR4-targeted gene therapy for HIV have also shown great promise. Developing a cure for HIV infection remains a high priority. In this review, we discuss the increasing progress of coreceptor-based hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy, cART, milder conditioning regimens, and shock and kill strategies that have important implications for designing potential strategies aiming to achieve a functional cure for the majority of people with HIV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingyi Ding
- Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Yanxi Liu
- University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Yu Lai
- School of Basic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China,*Correspondence: Yu Lai,
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