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Mao Y, Liao Q, Zhu Y, Bi M, Zou J, Zheng N, Zhu L, Zhao C, Liu Q, Liu L, Chen J, Gu L, Liu Z, Pan X, Xue Y, Feng M, Ying T, Zhou P, Wu Z, Xiao J, Zhang R, Leng J, Sun Y, Zhang X, Xu J. Efficacy and safety of novel multifunctional M10 CAR-T cells in HIV-1-infected patients: a phase I, multicenter, single-arm, open-label study. Cell Discov 2024; 10:49. [PMID: 38740803 DOI: 10.1038/s41421-024-00658-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells have been proposed for HIV-1 treatment but have not yet demonstrated desirable therapeutic efficacy. Here, we report newly developed anti-HIV-1 CAR-T cells armed with endogenic broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) and the follicle-homing receptor CXCR5, termed M10 cells. M10 cells were designed to exercise three-fold biological functions, including broad cytotoxic effects on HIV-infected cells, neutralization of cell-free viruses produced after latency reversal, and B-cell follicle homing. After demonstrating the three-fold biological activities, M10 cells were administered to treat 18 HIV-1 patients via a regimen of two allogenic M10 cell infusions with an interval of 30 days, with each M10 cell infusion followed by two chidamide stimulations for HIV-1 reservoir activation. Consequently, 74.3% of M10 cell infusions resulted in significant suppression of viral rebound, with viral loads declining by an average of 67.1%, and 10 patients showed persistently reduced cell-associated HIV-1 RNA levels (average decrease of 1.15 log10) over the 150-day observation period. M10 cells were also found to impose selective pressure on the latent viral reservoir. No significant treatment-related adverse effects were observed. Overall, our study supported the potential of M10 CAR-T cells as a novel, safe, and effective therapeutic option for the functional cure of HIV-1/AIDS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunyu Mao
- Clinical Center of Biotherapy at Zhongshan Hospital & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qibin Liao
- Clinical Center of Biotherapy at Zhongshan Hospital & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Youwei Zhu
- Clinical Center of Biotherapy at Zhongshan Hospital & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Mingyuan Bi
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jun Zou
- AIDS Clinical Treatment Center, The Fourth People's Hospital of Nanning, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Nairong Zheng
- Clinical Center of Biotherapy at Zhongshan Hospital & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lingyan Zhu
- Clinical Center of Biotherapy at Zhongshan Hospital & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chen Zhao
- Clinical Center of Biotherapy at Zhongshan Hospital & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qing Liu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Li Liu
- Clinical Center of Biotherapy at Zhongshan Hospital & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jun Chen
- Clinical Center of Biotherapy at Zhongshan Hospital & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ling Gu
- Clinical Center of Biotherapy at Zhongshan Hospital & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhuoqun Liu
- Clinical Center of Biotherapy at Zhongshan Hospital & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinghao Pan
- Clinical Center of Biotherapy at Zhongshan Hospital & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ying Xue
- Clinical Center of Biotherapy at Zhongshan Hospital & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Meiqi Feng
- Clinical Center of Biotherapy at Zhongshan Hospital & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Tianlei Ying
- Clinical Center of Biotherapy at Zhongshan Hospital & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Pingyu Zhou
- Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhanshuai Wu
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine for Treating High-Incidence Infectious Diseases with Integrative Medicine, Department of Medical Immunology, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Jian Xiao
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine for Treating High-Incidence Infectious Diseases with Integrative Medicine, Department of Medical Immunology, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Renfang Zhang
- Clinical Center of Biotherapy at Zhongshan Hospital & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Jing Leng
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine for Treating High-Incidence Infectious Diseases with Integrative Medicine, Department of Medical Immunology, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, Guangxi, China.
| | - Yongtao Sun
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
| | - Xiaoyan Zhang
- Clinical Center of Biotherapy at Zhongshan Hospital & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Jianqing Xu
- Clinical Center of Biotherapy at Zhongshan Hospital & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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2
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Sweeney EE, Sekhri P, Muniraj N, Chen J, Feng S, Terao J, Chin SJ, Schmidt DE, Bollard CM, Cruz CRY, Fernandes R. Photothermal Prussian blue nanoparticles generate potent multi-targeted tumor-specific T cells as an adoptive cell therapy. Bioeng Transl Med 2024; 9:e10639. [PMID: 38818122 PMCID: PMC11135148 DOI: 10.1002/btm2.10639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Prussian blue nanoparticle-based photothermal therapy (PBNP-PTT) is an effective tumor treatment capable of eliciting an antitumor immune response. Motivated by the ability of PBNP-PTT to potentiate endogenous immune responses, we recently demonstrated that PBNP-PTT could be used ex vivo to generate tumor-specific T cells against glioblastoma (GBM) cell lines as an adoptive T cell therapy (ATCT). In this study, we further developed this promising T cell development platform. First, we assessed the phenotype and function of T cells generated using PBNP-PTT. We observed that PBNP-PTT facilitated CD8+ T cell expansion from healthy donor PBMCs that secreted IFNγ and TNFα and upregulated CD107a in response to engagement with target U87 cells, suggesting specific antitumor T cell activation and degranulation. Further, CD8+ effector and effector memory T cell populations significantly expanded after co-culture with U87 cells, consistent with tumor-specific effector responses. In orthotopically implanted U87 GBM tumors in vivo, PBNP-PTT-derived T cells effectively reduced U87 tumor growth and generated long-term survival in >80% of tumor-bearing mice by Day 100, compared to 0% of mice treated with PBS, non-specific T cells, or T cells expanded from lysed U87 cells, demonstrating an enhanced antitumor efficacy of this ATCT platform. Finally, we tested the generalizability of our approach by generating T cells targeting medulloblastoma (D556), breast cancer (MDA-MB-231), neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y), and acute monocytic leukemia (THP-1) cell lines. The resulting T cells secreted IFNγ and exerted increased tumor-specific cytolytic function relative to controls, demonstrating the versatility of PBNP-PTT in generating tumor-specific T cells for ATCT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth E. Sweeney
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine and Health SciencesGeorge Washington UniversityWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
- Center for Cancer and Immunology ResearchChildren's National HospitalWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
| | - Palak Sekhri
- Center for Cancer and Immunology ResearchChildren's National HospitalWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
- The Integrated Biomedical Sciences Program, School of Medicine and Health SciencesGeorge Washington UniversityWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
| | - Nethaji Muniraj
- The Integrated Biomedical Sciences Program, School of Medicine and Health SciencesGeorge Washington UniversityWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
| | - Jie Chen
- Center for Cancer and Immunology ResearchChildren's National HospitalWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
| | - Sally Feng
- Center for Cancer and Immunology ResearchChildren's National HospitalWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
- George Washington Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Health SciencesGeorge Washington UniversityWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
| | - Joshua Terao
- The Integrated Biomedical Sciences Program, School of Medicine and Health SciencesGeorge Washington UniversityWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
| | - Samantha J. Chin
- Center for Cancer and Immunology ResearchChildren's National HospitalWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
- George Washington Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Health SciencesGeorge Washington UniversityWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
| | - Danielle E. Schmidt
- Center for Cancer and Immunology ResearchChildren's National HospitalWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
| | - Catherine M. Bollard
- Center for Cancer and Immunology ResearchChildren's National HospitalWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
- The Integrated Biomedical Sciences Program, School of Medicine and Health SciencesGeorge Washington UniversityWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
| | - Conrad Russell Y. Cruz
- Center for Cancer and Immunology ResearchChildren's National HospitalWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
- The Integrated Biomedical Sciences Program, School of Medicine and Health SciencesGeorge Washington UniversityWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
| | - Rohan Fernandes
- Center for Cancer and Immunology ResearchChildren's National HospitalWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
- George Washington Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Health SciencesGeorge Washington UniversityWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Health SciencesGeorge Washington UniversityWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
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Horvath RM, Brumme ZL, Sadowski I. Small molecule inhibitors of transcriptional cyclin-dependent kinases impose HIV-1 latency, presenting "block and lock" treatment strategies. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2024; 68:e0107223. [PMID: 38319085 PMCID: PMC10923280 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01072-23] [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: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Current antiretroviral therapy for HIV-1 infection does not represent a cure for infection as viral rebound inevitably occurs following discontinuation of treatment. The "block and lock" therapeutic strategy is intended to enforce proviral latency and durably suppress viremic reemergence in the absence of other intervention. The transcription-associated cyclin-dependent protein kinases (tCDKs) are required for expression from the 5´ HIV-1 long-terminal repeat, but the therapeutic potential of inhibiting these kinases for enforcing HIV-1 latency has not been characterized. Here, we expanded previous observations to directly compare the effect of highly selective small molecule inhibitors of CDK7 (YKL-5-124), CDK9 (LDC000067), and CDK8/19 (Senexin A), and found each of these prevented HIV-1 provirus expression at concentrations that did not cause cell toxicity. Inhibition of CDK7 caused cell cycle arrest, whereas CDK9 and CDK8/19 inhibitors did not, and could be continuously administered to establish proviral latency. Upon discontinuation of drug administration, HIV immediately rebounded in cells that had been treated with the CDK9 inhibitor, while proviral latency persisted for several days in cells that had been treated with CDK8/19 inhibitors. These results identify the mediator kinases CDK8/CDK19 as potential "block and lock" targets for therapeutic suppression of HIV-1 provirus expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riley M. Horvath
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Molecular Epigenetics Group, LSI, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Zabrina L. Brumme
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Ivan Sadowski
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Molecular Epigenetics Group, LSI, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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4
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Paneerselvam N, Khan A, Lawson BR. Broadly neutralizing antibodies targeting HIV: Progress and challenges. Clin Immunol 2023; 257:109809. [PMID: 37852345 PMCID: PMC10872707 DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2023.109809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Anti-HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) offer a novel approach to treating, preventing, or curing HIV. Pre-clinical models and clinical trials involving the passive transfer of bNAbs have demonstrated that they can control viremia and potentially serve as alternatives or complement antiretroviral therapy (ART). However, antibody decay, persistent latent reservoirs, and resistance impede bNAb treatment. This review discusses recent advancements and obstacles in applying bNAbs and proposes strategies to enhance their therapeutic potential. These strategies include multi-epitope targeting, antibody half-life extension, combining with current and newer antiretrovirals, and sustained antibody secretion.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amber Khan
- The Scintillon Research Institute, 6868 Nancy Drive, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
| | - Brian R Lawson
- The Scintillon Research Institute, 6868 Nancy Drive, San Diego, CA 92121, USA.
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5
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Sweeney EE, Sekhri P, Telaraja D, Chen J, Chin SJ, Chiappinelli KB, Sanchez CE, Bollard CM, Cruz CRY, Fernandes R. Engineered tumor-specific T cells using immunostimulatory photothermal nanoparticles. Cytotherapy 2023; 25:S1465-3249(23)00094-4. [PMID: 37278683 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2023.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adoptive T cell therapy (ATCT) has been successful in treating hematological malignancies and is currently under investigation for solid-tumor therapy. In contrast to existing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell and/or antigen-specific T cell approaches, which require known targets, and responsive to the need for targeting a broad repertoire of antigens in solid tumors, we describe the first use of immunostimulatory photothermal nanoparticles to generate tumor-specific T cells. METHODS Specifically, we subject whole tumor cells to Prussian blue nanoparticle-based photothermal therapy (PBNP-PTT) before culturing with dendritic cells (DCs), and subsequent stimulation of T cells. This strategy differs from previous approaches using tumor cell lysates because we use nanoparticles to mediate thermal and immunogenic cell death in tumor cells, rendering them enhanced antigen sources. RESULTS In proof-of-concept studies using two glioblastoma (GBM) tumor cell lines, we first demonstrated that when PBNP-PTT was administered at a "thermal dose" targeted to induce the immunogenicity of U87 GBM cells, we effectively expanded U87-specific T cells. Further, we found that DCs cultured ex vivo with PBNP-PTT-treated U87 cells enabled 9- to 30-fold expansion of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Upon co-culture with target U87 cells, these T cells secreted interferon-ɣ in a tumor-specific and dose-dependent manner (up to 647-fold over controls). Furthermore, T cells manufactured using PBNP-PTT ex vivo expansion elicited specific cytolytic activity against target U87 cells (donor-dependent 32-93% killing at an effector to target cell (E:T) ratio of 20:1) while sparing normal human astrocytes and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from the same donors. In contrast, T cells generated using U87 cell lysates expanded only 6- to 24-fold and killed 2- to 3-fold less U87 target cells at matched E:T ratios compared with T cell products expanded using the PBNP-PTT approach. These results were reproducible even when a different GBM cell line (SNB19) was used, wherein the PBNP-PTT-mediated approach resulted in a 7- to 39-fold expansion of T cells, which elicited 25-66% killing of the SNB19 cells at an E:T ratio of 20:1, depending on the donor. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide proof-of-concept data supporting the use of PBNP-PTT to stimulate and expand tumor-specific T cells ex vivo for potential use as an adoptive T cell therapy approach for the treatment of patients with solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth E Sweeney
- George Washington Cancer Center, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
| | - Palak Sekhri
- George Washington Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Deepti Telaraja
- George Washington Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Jie Chen
- George Washington Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Samantha J Chin
- The Institute for Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Katherine B Chiappinelli
- George Washington Cancer Center, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Carlos E Sanchez
- George Washington Cancer Center, Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Catherine M Bollard
- Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
| | - C Russell Y Cruz
- Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA.
| | - Rohan Fernandes
- George Washington Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA; The Institute for Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
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Motta CM, Keller MD, Bollard CM. Applications of Virus specific T cell Therapies Post BMT. Semin Hematol 2022; 60:10-19. [PMID: 37080705 DOI: 10.1053/j.seminhematol.2022.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been used as a curative standard of care for moderate to severe primary immunodeficiency disorders as well as relapsed hematologic malignancies for over 50 years [1,2]. However, chronic and refractory viral infections remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the immune deficient period following HSCT, where use of available antiviral pharmacotherapies is limited by toxicity and emerging resistance [3]. Adoptive immunotherapy using virus-specific T cells (VSTs) has been explored for over 2 decades [4,5] in patients post-HSCT and has been shown prior phase I-II studies to be safe and effective for treatment or preventions of viral infections including cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, BK virus, and adenovirus with minimal toxicity and low risk of graft vs host disease [6-9]. This review summarizes methodologies to generate VSTs the clinical results utilizing VST therapeutics and the challenges and future directions for the field.
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Capoferri AA, Redd AD, Gocke CD, Clark LR, Quinn TC, Ambinder RF, Durand CM. Brief Report: Rebound HIV Viremia With Meningoencephalitis After Antiretroviral Therapy Interruption After Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplant. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2022; 89:297-302. [PMID: 34753870 PMCID: PMC10985789 DOI: 10.1097/qai.0000000000002862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Allogeneic bone marrow transplant (alloBMT) in people living with HIV can lead to the undetectable levels of HIV reservoirs in blood, even using highly sensitive assays. However, with antiretroviral therapy (ART) interruption, rebound of HIV viremia occurs. The source of this rebound viremia is of interest in HIV cure strategies. METHODS Within a trial of alloBMT in individuals with hematologic malignancies and HIV (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01836068), one recipient self-interrupted ART after achieving >99.5% host cell replacement in peripheral blood by day 147 and developed severe acute retroviral syndrome with meningoencephalitis at 156 days post alloBMT. We isolated replication-competent HIV using a quantitative viral outgrowth assay at 100 and 25 days before alloBMT and from the same time points before alloBMT for HIV DNA and cell-associated RNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells and resting memory CD4+ T cells. We isolated HIV RNA in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) at viral rebound. We sequenced the RT-region of pol and performed neighbor-joining phylogenetic reconstruction. RESULTS Phylogenetic analysis revealed an identical viral sequence at both pre-alloBMT time points accounting for 9 of 34 sequences (26%) of the sampled HIV reservoir. This sequence population grouped with viral rebound sequences from plasma and CSF with high sequence homology. DISCUSSION Despite >99.5% replacement of host cells in peripheral blood, ART interruption led to HIV viral rebound in plasma and CSF. Furthermore, the rebound virus matched replication-competent virus from resting memory CD4+ T cells before alloBMT. This case underscores that HIV-infected recipient cells can persist after alloBMT and that latent replication-competent virus can reestablish infection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrew D. Redd
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Laboratory of Immunoregulation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Laura R. Clark
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Thomas C. Quinn
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Laboratory of Immunoregulation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Richard F. Ambinder
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Christine M. Durand
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Nguyen K, Dobrowolski C, Shukla M, Cho WK, Luttge B, Karn J. Inhibition of the H3K27 demethylase UTX enhances the epigenetic silencing of HIV proviruses and induces HIV-1 DNA hypermethylation but fails to permanently block HIV reactivation. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1010014. [PMID: 34673825 PMCID: PMC8562785 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
One strategy for a functional cure of HIV-1 is "block and lock", which seeks to permanently suppress the rebound of quiescent HIV-1 by epigenetic silencing. For the bivalent promoter in the HIV LTR, both histone 3 lysine 27 tri-methylation (H3K27me3) and DNA methylation are associated with viral suppression, while H3K4 tri-methylation (H3K4me3) is correlated with viral expression. However, H3K27me3 is readily reversed upon activation of T-cells through the T-cell receptor. In an attempt to suppress latent HIV-1 in a stable fashion, we knocked down the expression or inhibited the activity of UTX/KDM6A, the major H3K27 demethylase, and investigated its impact on latent HIV-1 reactivation in T cells. Inhibition of UTX dramatically enhanced H3K27me3 levels at the HIV LTR and was associated with increased DNA methylation. In latently infected cells from patients, GSK-J4, which is a potent dual inhibitor of the H3K27me3/me2-demethylases JMJD3/KDM6B and UTX/KDM6A, effectively suppressed the reactivation of latent HIV-1 and also induced DNA methylation at specific sites in the 5'LTR of latent HIV-1 by the enhanced recruitment of DNMT3A to HIV-1. Nonetheless, suppression of HIV-1 through epigenetic silencing required the continued treatment with GSK-J4 and was rapidly reversed after removal of the drug. DNA methylation was also rapidly lost after removal of drug, suggesting active and rapid DNA-demethylation of the HIV LTR. Thus, induction of epigenetic silencing by histone and DNA methylation appears to be insufficient to permanently silence HIV-1 proviral transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kien Nguyen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Case Western Reserve University Medical School, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Curtis Dobrowolski
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Meenakshi Shukla
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Case Western Reserve University Medical School, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Won-Kyung Cho
- Korean Medicine (KM)-Application Center, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (KIOM), Dong-gu, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Benjamin Luttge
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Case Western Reserve University Medical School, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Jonathan Karn
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Case Western Reserve University Medical School, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
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9
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Pauza CD, Huang K, Bordon J. Advances in cell and gene therapy for HIV disease: it is good to be specific. Curr Opin HIV AIDS 2021; 16:83-87. [PMID: 33625039 DOI: 10.1097/coh.0000000000000666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Tremendous advances in cell and gene therapy may soon realize the goal of treating and possibly curing HIV disease. These advances rely on new technologies for cell engineering and new strategies for product manufacturing that are targeting the most important immune deficits in HIV and promising to reconstitute protective, antiviral immunity and achieve natural suppression of HIV disease. RECENT FINDINGS We summarize important advances in vectored passive immunity, e.g., directing in vivo expression of protective antibodies or antiviral proteins, B cell engineering to overcome the inadequate humoral immune response to HIV, and T cell engineering that is breaking new ground using viral vector modification of HIV specific T cells. These innovative approaches build on a substantial history of gene and cell therapy research in HIV disease. SUMMARY Cell and gene therapy for HIV disease has been an area of tremendous innovation during the nearly two decades since early reports showed evidence for modulating disease. Recent efforts are building on the early experiences, closing gaps in previous approaches, and moving closer to effective treatment. Products approaching or already in clinical trials hold great promise for achieving durable suppression of HIV that will revolutionize therapy and offering hope to infected individuals that disease may be controlled without lifelong dependence on antiretroviral medications. VIDEO ABSTRACT http://links.lww.com/COHA/A15.
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Affiliation(s)
- C David Pauza
- American Gene Technologies International, Rockville, Maryland
| | - Kelly Huang
- American Gene Technologies International, Rockville, Maryland
| | - Jose Bordon
- Washington Health Institute and George Washington School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
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