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Dubé K, Perez-Brumer A, Patel H, Zhou C, Dee L, Graham G, Meanley S, Philbin MM. "This Is Actually a Really Unique Moment in Time": Navigating Long-Acting HIV Treatment and HIV Cure Research with Analytical Treatment Interruptions-A Qualitative Interview Study in the United States. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2024. [PMID: 38386494 DOI: 10.1089/aid.2023.0105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Advancements in long-acting (LA) HIV treatment and cure research with analytical treatment interruptions (ATIs) have generated important scientific and implementation questions. There is an urgent need to examine challenges navigating the evolving HIV treatment and cure research landscape. From August to October 2022, we conducted 26 semistructured interviews with biomedical researchers and community members representing a predominantly woman demographic to explore the complexity of navigating the rapidly evolving HIV therapeutic and HIV cure research landscape. We purposively sampled individuals recruited from the AIDS Clinical Trials Group and the Martin Delaney Collaboratories for HIV Cure Research. Audio files were transcribed verbatim and analyzed through a thematic approach, using an inductive and iterative process. Among 26 participants, 10 were biomedical researchers and 16 community members, including 11 were people with HIV. Three main themes emerged: (1) We are at a pivotal moment in the evolving landscape of HIV therapeutics and LA HIV treatment and HIV cure research should not be siloed but considered together; (2) There are challenges with engagement in HIV cure research and in switching between oral daily antiretroviral treatment and LA formulations and, mainly, the prolonged pharmacokinetic tail of these compounds matched with limited patient education about their impacts; and (3) There are unique opportunities as a result of this evolving therapeutic landscape, including the key role of decision support for people with HIV, centering around patient autonomy, and the need to learn from the lived experiences of people with HIV who choose LA treatment and/or participation in HIV cure research. Despite a bias toward the woman gender, our study identifies key considerations for navigating concurrent LA HIV treatment and HIV cure research with ATIs from both community members and biomedical researchers' perspectives. Achieving optimal HIV control remains a formidable challenge, necessitating robust interdisciplinary collaborations and engagement with key stakeholders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Dubé
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Amaya Perez-Brumer
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Hursch Patel
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Carina Zhou
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Lynda Dee
- AIDS Action Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Gail Graham
- PATIENTS Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Steven Meanley
- Department of Family and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Morgan Mari Philbin
- Division of Vulnerable Populations, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
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Ndukwe SO, Patel H, Shelton B, Concha-Garcia S, Dullano C, Solso S, Hendrickx S, Riggs PK, Villa TJ, Kaytes A, Taylor J, Little SJ, Lessard D, Arora AK, Costiniuk CT, Eskaf S, Smith DM, Gianella S, Dubé K. People with HIV at the end-of-life and their next-of-kin/loved ones are willing to participate in interventional HIV cure-related research. AIDS 2024; 38:235-243. [PMID: 37861674 PMCID: PMC10842373 DOI: 10.1097/qad.0000000000003754] [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] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The Last Gift study at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), United States enrolls terminally ill people with HIV (PWH) in HIV cure research. METHODS From 2017 to 2022, we conducted surveys with Last Gift participants and their next-of-kin/loved ones to evaluate willingness to participate in different types of HIV cure research at the end of life (EOL). We analyzed willingness data descriptively. RESULTS We surveyed 17 Last Gift participants and 17 next-of-kin/loved ones. More than half of Last Gift participants ( n = 10; 58.8%) expressed willingness to participate in studies involving totally new treatments or approaches ('first-in-human' studies), a combination of different approaches, the use of unique antibodies, proteins or molecules, or therapeutic vaccines. Under one-quarter of Last Gift participants ( n = 4; 23.5%) expressed willingness to participate in research involving interventions that may shorten their life expectancy to benefit medical research. Most Last Gift participants and their next-of-kin/loved ones also expressed high acceptance for various types of donations and biopsies at the EOL (e.g. hair donations and skin, lymph node or gut biopsies). DISCUSSION Knowing whether people would be willing to participate in different types of EOL HIV cure research can help inform the design of future innovative studies. As a research community, we have a duty to design studies with adequate safeguards to preserve the public trust in research and honor PWH's important gift to humanity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel O. Ndukwe
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego (UCSD), CA, USA
- UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Hursch Patel
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego (UCSD), CA, USA
- UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Brittany Shelton
- Department of Public Health, College of Education, Health and Human Sciences, University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Susanna Concha-Garcia
- Antiviral Research Center (AVRC), University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
- HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Cheryl Dullano
- Antiviral Research Center (AVRC), University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Stephanie Solso
- Antiviral Research Center (AVRC), University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Steven Hendrickx
- Antiviral Research Center (AVRC), University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Patricia K. Riggs
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego (UCSD), CA, USA
| | - Thomas J. Villa
- HIV Obstruction by Programmed Epigenetics (HOPE) Collaboratory Community Advisory Board, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Andy Kaytes
- UCSD Antiviral Research Center Community Advisory Board, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Jeff Taylor
- UCSD Antiviral Research Center Community Advisory Board, San Diego, CA, USA
- HIV + Aging Research Project Palm Springs (HARP-PS), Palm Springs, CA, USA
| | - Susan J. Little
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego (UCSD), CA, USA
- Antiviral Research Center (AVRC), University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - David Lessard
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Chronic Viral Illness Service, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, McGill University Health Center (MUCH), Montreal, QC, Canada
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research Mentorship Chair in Innovative Clinical Trials, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Center for Outcome Research and Evaluation, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Anish K. Arora
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research Mentorship Chair in Innovative Clinical Trials, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Center for Outcome Research and Evaluation, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Cecilia T. Costiniuk
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Chronic Viral Illness Service, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, McGill University Health Center (MUCH), Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Division of Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Shadi Eskaf
- Public Health Research Consultant, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Davey M. Smith
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego (UCSD), CA, USA
- Antiviral Research Center (AVRC), University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Sara Gianella
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego (UCSD), CA, USA
- Antiviral Research Center (AVRC), University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Karine Dubé
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego (UCSD), CA, USA
- UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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