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Fridman I, Eyal N, Scherr KA, Currier JS, Freedberg KA, Halpern SD, Kuritzkes DR, Magalhaes M, Pollak KI, Ubel PA. Willingness to trade-off years of life for an HIV cure - an experimental exploration of affective forecasting. AIDS Res Ther 2024; 21:51. [PMID: 39107832 PMCID: PMC11304558 DOI: 10.1186/s12981-024-00640-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the US, 1.2 million people live with HIV (PWH). Despite having near-normal life expectancies due to antiretroviral therapy (ART), many PWH seek an HIV cure, even if it means risking their lives. This willingness to take risks for a cure raises questions about "affective forecasting biases," where people tend to overestimate the positive impact of future events on their well-being. We conducted a study to test two interventions to mitigate affective forecasting in the decisions of PWH about taking HIV cure medication. METHODS We recruited PWH to complete a 30-minute survey about their current quality of life (QoL) and the QoL they anticipate after being cured of HIV, and assigned them to either no additional intervention, to one of two interventions intended to reduce affective forecasting bias, or to both interventions: (1) a defocusing intervention designed to broaden the number of life domains people consider when imagining life changes associated with new circumstances (e.g. HIV cure); and (2) an adaptation intervention to help them gauge fading of strong emotions over time. The study design included a 2 × 2 design: defocusing (yes/no) x adaptation (yes/no) intervention. We assessed PWH's willingness to take hypothetical HIV sterilizing cure medication using the Time Trade-Off (TTO) and their quality of life predictions with WHOQOL-HIV. RESULTS 296 PWH participated. Counter to what we had hypothesized, neither intervention significantly reduced PWH's willingness to trade time for a cure. Instead, the defocusing intervention increased their willingness to trade time (IRR 1.77, p = 0.03). Exploratory analysis revealed that PWH with lower current quality of life who received the defocusing intervention were more willing to trade time for a cure. CONCLUSION These negative findings suggest that either these biases are difficult to overcome in the settings of HIV curative medication or other factors beyond affective forecasting biases influence willingness to participate in HIV curative studies, such as respondents' current quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilona Fridman
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, 450 West Dr, NC, 27599, USA.
| | - Nir Eyal
- School of Public Health, and Philosophy, Rutgers University Institute for Health, 112 Paterson St, NJ, 08901, USA
| | - Karen A Scherr
- Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Duke School of Medicine, 2301 Erwin Rd, Durham, 27710, NC, USA
| | - Judith S Currier
- Department of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, 911 Broxton Ave, Suite 30, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Kenneth A Freedberg
- Medical Practice Evaluation Center, Divisions of General Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, 100 Cambridge St, Suite 1600, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Scott D Halpern
- Departments of Medicine, Medical Ethics and Health Policy, and Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Daniel R Kuritzkes
- Division of Infectious Diseases Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 65 Landsdowne St, Rm 449, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Monica Magalhaes
- Rutgers University Institute for Health, 112 Paterson Street, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
| | - Kathryn I Pollak
- Cancer Control and Population Sciences in the Duke Cancer Institute, 2424 Erwin Road, Suite 602, Durham, NC, 27705, USA
- Department of Population Health Science, Duke University, 215 Morris St, Durham, NC, 27701, USA
| | - Peter A Ubel
- Department of Population Health Science, Fuqua School of Business, School of Medicine, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University, 100 Fuqua Drive., Durham, NC, 27708, USA
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Kuhn L, Barnabas S, Cotugno N, Peay H, Goulder P, Cotton M, Violari A, Pahwa S, Reddy K, Tagarro A, Otwombe K, Fry S, Vaz P, Lain MG, Nhampossa T, Archary M, Maiga AI, Puthanakit T, Kityo CM, Foster C, Rojo P, Klein N, Nastouli E, Tiemessen CT, de Rossi A, Ndung'u T, Persaud D, Lichterfeld M, Giaquinto C, Palma P, Rossi P. Analytical treatment interruption in children living with HIV: position statement from the EPIICAL consortium. Lancet HIV 2024:S2352-3018(24)00157-7. [PMID: 39059402 DOI: 10.1016/s2352-3018(24)00157-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
Analytical treatment interruption (ATI) is widely acknowledged as an essential component of studies to advance our understanding of HIV cure, but discussion has largely been focused on adults. To address this gap, we reviewed evidence related to the safety and utility of ATI in paediatric populations. Three randomised ATI trials using CD4 T-cell and clinical criteria to guide restart of antiretroviral therapy (ART) have been conducted. These trials found low risks associated with ATI in children, including reassuring findings pertaining to neurocognitive outcomes. Similar to adults treated during acute infection, infants treated early in life have shifts in virological and immunological parameters that increase their likelihood of achieving ART-free viral control. Early ART limits the size and diversity of the viral reservoir and shapes effective innate and HIV-specific humoral and cellular responses. Several cases of durable ART-free viral control in early treated children have been reported. We recommend that, where appropriate for the study question and where adequate monitoring is available, ATI should be integrated into ART-free viral control research in children living with HIV. Paediatric participants have the greatest likelihood of benefiting and potentially the most years to prospectively realise those benefits. Excluding children from ATI trials limits the evidence base and delays access to interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise Kuhn
- Gertrude H Sergievsky Center, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Shaun Barnabas
- Family Centre for Research with Ubuntu, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg Academic Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Nicola Cotugno
- Research Unit of Clinical Immunology and Vaccinology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy; Department of Systems Medicine, Tor Vergata University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Philip Goulder
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; HIV Pathogenesis Programme, Doris Duke Medical Research Institute, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa; Africa Health Research Institute, Durban, South Africa; Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Mark Cotton
- Family Centre for Research with Ubuntu, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg Academic Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Avy Violari
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit, Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Soweto, South Africa; School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Savita Pahwa
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Kavidha Reddy
- Africa Health Research Institute, Durban, South Africa
| | - Alfredo Tagarro
- Fundación de Investigación Biomédica, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Instituto de Investigación 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain; Department of Pediatrics, Infanta Sofía University Hospital, Fundación para la Investigación Biomédica e Innovación Hospital Universitario Infanta Sofía y Hospital del Henares, Madrid, Spain; Universidad Europea de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Kennedy Otwombe
- Perinatal HIV Research Unit, Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Soweto, South Africa; School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Samantha Fry
- Family Centre for Research with Ubuntu, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg Academic Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Paula Vaz
- Fundação Ariel Glaser contra o SIDA Pediátrico, Maputo, Mozambique
| | | | | | - Moherndran Archary
- Africa Health Research Institute, Durban, South Africa; Department of Paediatrics and Department of Infectious Diseases, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Almoustapha Issiaka Maiga
- Department of Medical Biology, CHU Gabriel Toure, University of Sciences Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Bamako, Mali
| | - Thanyawee Puthanakit
- Department of Pediatrics and Center of Excellence for Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Caroline Foster
- Department of Paediatric Infectious Diseases, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
| | - Pablo Rojo
- Universidad Complutense Madrid, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Instituto de Investigación 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nigel Klein
- Africa Health Research Institute, Durban, South Africa; Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - Eleni Nastouli
- Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Caroline T Tiemessen
- Centre for HIV and STIs, National Institutes of Communicable Diseases, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa; Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Anita de Rossi
- Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, Section of Oncology and Immunology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Thumbi Ndung'u
- HIV Pathogenesis Programme, Doris Duke Medical Research Institute, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa; Africa Health Research Institute, Durban, South Africa; Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, UK
| | - Deborah Persaud
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mathias Lichterfeld
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Boston, MA, USA; Infectious Disease Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Carlo Giaquinto
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Paolo Palma
- Research Unit of Clinical Immunology and Vaccinology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy; Department of Systems Medicine, Tor Vergata University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Paolo Rossi
- Research Unit of Clinical Immunology and Vaccinology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy; Department of Systems Medicine, Tor Vergata University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Dubé K, Ndukwe SO, Korolkova A, Dee L, Sugarman J, Sauceda JA. Participant experiences in a combination HIV cure-related trial with extended analytical treatment interruption in San Francisco, United States. HIV Res Clin Pract 2024; 25:2312318. [PMID: 38348830 PMCID: PMC10951555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is limited systematic information available about the perspectives of participants enrolled in intensive combination HIV cure-related trials inclusive of an extended analytical treatment interruption (ATI). OBJECTIVE To assess and understand experiences of people with HIV involved in a combination HIV cure-related trial with an extended ATI. METHODS The trial included five interventions and was followed by an ATI lasting up to 52 wk. From 2022 - 2023, we conducted in-depth interviews with study participants following their extended ATIs. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed via conventional thematic analysis. RESULTS We interviewed seven participants. The majority were male, White, and non-Hispanic, with a median age of 37 years. Trust in the research team, scientific altruism and hope of becoming a post-intervention controller were key motivators for joining the trial. Interviewees reported being satisfied with their decision to participate in the trial and the extended ATI. Most recounted feelings of worry related to viral rebound during the ATI. Participants reported both defeat and relief with ART restart. Four faced challenges with protecting partners from HIV during their ATI, such as trying to find out if their partner(s) were using pre-exposure prophylaxis. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate potential improvements for future ATI trial participant experiences, such as more robust resources for psychosocial support and partner protections. Dedicating greater effort to understanding participant ATI experiences can inform the design of future participant-centered HIV cure trial protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Dubé
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health
(IDGPH), Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego (UCSD), La
Jolla, CA, USA
- Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Samuel O. Ndukwe
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health
(IDGPH), Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego (UCSD), La
Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Ana Korolkova
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health
(IDGPH), Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego (UCSD), La
Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Lynda Dee
- AIDS Action Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Delaney AIDS Research Enterprise (DARE) Community
Engagement Coordinator, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jeremy Sugarman
- Johns Hopkins Berman Institute for Bioethics, Baltimore,
MD, USA
| | - John A. Sauceda
- Division of Prevention Science, Center for AIDS Prevention
Studies (CAPS), San Francisco, CA, USA
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Bilger A, Plenn E, Barg FK, Rendle KA, Carter WB, Lamour-Harrington A, Jones N, Peterson B, Sauceda JA, Tebas P, Mounzer K, Metzger D, Montaner LJ, Dubé K. Participant experiences in HIV cure-directed trial with an extended analytical treatment interruption in Philadelphia, United States. HIV Res Clin Pract 2023; 24:2267825. [PMID: 37837376 PMCID: PMC10634456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A feature of HIV cure trials is the need to interrupt treatment to test the efficacy of experimental interventions-a process known as analytical treatment interruptions (ATIs). OBJECTIVES We report the experiences of participants after they completed an extended ATI. METHODS From April to November 2022, we conducted post-ATI in-depth interviews with BEAT2 clinical trial (NCT03588715) participants who stopped ART while receiving an immunotherapy regimen. We used conventional content analysis to code the data. RESULTS We conducted interviews with 11 Black/African American and three White/Caucasian participants (11 males, two females, and one transgender woman). The mean ATI was 38 weeks. Participants noted several significant experiences surrounding the interventions' side effects, ATI, and returning to medication. Some participants had positive experiences with their ATI. Other participants were nervous during the ATI. Rising viral loads led some to feel a sense of failure. Although trial experiences were heterogeneous, participants unanimously had positive interactions with the clinical trial staff which facilitated their retention in the trial. Participants shared their experiences with the trial, including changes in expectations, experiences with experimental interventions and procedures, compensation as a measure of respect, effort, transportation, and effects of COVID-19 during the trial. Based on these results, we provide considerations for the conduct of future HIV cure-directed clinical trials involving ATIs. CONCLUSIONS Managing expectations, focusing on participants' contributions, and providing support to reduce feelings of having failed the research team and/or the HIV community following viral rebound should be part of HIV cure trial design. Discussing the mental health impact of rebound during consent, distinct from risk, is needed. Continued efforts to understand how people with HIV experience ATIs will improve future designs of HIV cure clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Bilger
- Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA, USA
| | - Eion Plenn
- Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA, USA
| | - Frances K. Barg
- Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA, USA
| | - Katharine A. Rendle
- Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA, USA
| | - William B. Carter
- BEAT-HIV Delaney Collaboratory Community Advisory Board, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Nora Jones
- BEAT-HIV Delaney Collaboratory Community Advisory Board, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - John A. Sauceda
- Division of Prevention Sciences, Department of Medicine, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS), University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Pablo Tebas
- Hospital of the University of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA, USA
| | - Karam Mounzer
- Philadelphia FIGHT Community Health Centers, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - David Metzger
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA, USA
| | | | - Karine Dubé
- University of California San Diego School of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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5
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Dubé K, Morton T, Fox L, Dee L, Palm D, Villa TJ, Freshwater W, Taylor J, Graham G, Carter WB, Sauceda JA, Peluso MJ, Rid A. A partner protection package for HIV cure-related trials involving analytical treatment interruptions. THE LANCET. INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2023; 23:e418-e430. [PMID: 37295453 PMCID: PMC10543569 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(23)00267-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Analytical treatment interruptions (ATIs) have become a key methodological approach to evaluate the effects of experimental HIV cure-related research interventions. During ATIs, sex partners of trial participants might be at risk of acquiring HIV. This risk raises both ethical and feasibility concerns about ATI trials. We propose a partner protection package (P3) approach to address these concerns. A P3 approach would provide guidance to investigators, sponsors, and those who are designing and implementing context-specific partner protections in HIV cure-related trials involving ATIs. The approach would also help assure institutional review boards, trial participants, and communities that ATI trials with a P3 would provide appropriate partner protections. We offer a prototype P3 framework that delineates three basic considerations for protecting participants' sex partners during ATI trials: (1) ensuring the scientific and social value of the ATI and the trial, (2) reducing the likelihood of unintended HIV transmission, and (3) ensuring prompt management of any acquired HIV infection. We outline possible ways of implementing these basic considerations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Dubé
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA; University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
| | - Tia Morton
- Division of AIDS, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Lawrence Fox
- Division of AIDS, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Lynda Dee
- Delaney AIDS Research Enterprise Community Engagement and Community Advisory Board University of California San Francisco, Department of Medicine, HIV, ID and Global Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA; AIDS Action Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - David Palm
- AIDS Clinical Trials Group Global Community Advisory Board, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Institute of Global Health and Infectious Diseases Clinical Trials Unit, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Thomas J Villa
- HIV Obstruction by Programmed Epigenetics Delaney Collaboratory Community Advisory Board, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA, USA; National HIV & Aging Advocacy Network, National Minority AIDS Council, Washington, DC, USA; Reversing Immune Dysfunction HIV Delaney Collaboratory Community Advisory Board, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA; Rockville, MD, USA
| | | | - Jeff Taylor
- Delaney AIDS Research Enterprise Community Engagement and Community Advisory Board University of California San Francisco, Department of Medicine, HIV, ID and Global Medicine, San Francisco, CA, USA; Reversing Immune Dysfunction HIV Delaney Collaboratory Community Advisory Board, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA; Palm Springs, CA, USA; HIV + Aging Research Project, Palm Springs, CA, USA
| | | | - William B Carter
- Baltimore, MD, USA; BEAT-HIV Collaboratory Delaney Community Advisory Board, Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - John A Sauceda
- Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, Division of Prevention Sciences, San Francisco General Hospital, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Michael J Peluso
- Department of Medicine, Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Annette Rid
- Department of Bioethics, NIH Clinical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Magalhaes M, Kuritzkes DR, Eyal N. The ethical case for placebo control in HIV-cure-related studies with ART interruption. J Virus Erad 2022; 8:100084. [PMID: 36106155 PMCID: PMC9464947 DOI: 10.1016/j.jve.2022.100084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Many studies that seek to cure HIV must ask participants to interrupt their antiretroviral treatment. In such circumstances, is it permissible to include a placebo group in the study? We explain why doing so is a scientific and an ethical necessity, and more benign than imagined.
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7
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Sylla L, Patel H, Louella M, Simoni J, Dubé K. Community HIV clinicians' perceptions about HIV cure-related research in the Northwestern United States. HIV Res Clin Pract 2022; 23:61-75. [PMID: 35904107 PMCID: PMC9836364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Background: Research on stakeholder perspectives of HIV cure research has involved people with HIV (PWH), who generally cite the importance of HIV clinician advice in making decisions about trial participation. However, there has been little exploration of non-researcher community HIV clinician perspectives, which are clearly critical to the success of HIV cure-related research.Objective: We aimed to learn how community HIV clinicians perceive HIV cure research and identify factors that would lead them to support or discourage HIV cure trial participation by their patients.Methods: We recruited a purposive sample of 12 community HIV clinicians in metro-Seattle, WA to participate in structured interviews. We completed 11 interviews via teleconference and received one written response. We used conventional content analysis to analyze the data.Results: Overall, community HIV clinicians were supportive of patient participation in HIV cure trials. Factors affecting support included knowledge of local trials, ease of referral, patient immune function and health stability, study risks and benefits, burden of study requirements, patient characteristics, patient life stability, potential impact on engagement in care, study communication plans, and beliefs that patients should have the autonomy to decide to participate. Participants had concerns about trials requiring treatment delays or interruptions and HIV transmission risk. While their knowledge of the field was limited, they were interested in learning more about open HIV cure trials.Conclusions: It would benefit the HIV cure research community if those leading HIV cure trials make stronger efforts to engage community clinicians who care for PWH, but are not active researchers, early in the trial design process. Such engagement prior to launching HIV cure trials will improve trial designs, leading to better enrollment and retention within these important studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurie Sylla
- defeatHIV Collaboratory, 1100 Fairview Avenue North, E5-110, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA,University of Washington, School of Medicine, Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Mountain West AIDS Education & Training Center, Mailstop 359932, Seattle, WA 98104
| | - Hursch Patel
- University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health, 4108 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Michael Louella
- defeatHIV Collaboratory, 1100 Fairview Avenue North, E5-110, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Jane Simoni
- University of Washington, Departments of Psychology and Global Health, 3909 Stevens Way CE, Box 351525, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Karine Dubé
- University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health, 4108 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
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Dubé K, Eskaf S, Barr L, Palm D, Hogg E, Simoni JM, Sugarman J, Brown B, Sauceda JA, Henley L, Deeks S, Fox L, Gandhi RT, Smith D, Li JZ. Participant Perspectives and Experiences Following an Intensively Monitored Antiretroviral Pause in the United States: Results from the AIDS Clinical Trials Group A5345 Biomarker Study. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2022; 38:510-517. [PMID: 35323030 PMCID: PMC9225827 DOI: 10.1089/aid.2021.0170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The AIDS Clinical Trials Group A5345 study (NCT03001128) included an intensively monitored antiretroviral pause (IMAP), during which participants living with HIV temporarily stopped antiretroviral treatment (ART) in an effort to identify biomarkers that could predict HIV rebound. We evaluated the potential impact of the IMAP on A5345 study participants in the United States by questioning them immediately after the IMAP and at the end of the study. We administered longitudinal sociobehavioral questionnaires to participants following the IMAP when they resumed ART and at the end of the study. We summarized descriptive data from the post-IMAP and end-of-study questionnaires. Open-ended responses were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Reactions to pausing ART involved a mixture of curiosity and satisfaction from contributing to science. All participants indicated adherence with the ART interruption. About half (9/17) of post-IMAP questionnaire respondents reported having sexual partner(s) during the IMAP, and of those, nearly all (8/9) did not find it difficult to use measures to prevent HIV transmission to partners. The majority believed that they benefited from the study, yet some had elevated anxiety following the IMAP and at the end of the study. Most (24/29) respondents who completed the end-of-study questionnaire would recommend the study to other people living with HIV. Our findings underscore the relevance of the psychosocial aspects of participating in studies that involve interruptions of ART. Understanding how participants experience this research is invaluable for informing the design of future research aimed at sustained ART-free virologic suppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Dubé
- Public Health Leadership Program and Health Policy and Management, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Address correspondence to: Karine Dubé, Public Health Leadership Program and Health Policy and Management, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, 4108 McGavran Greenberg Hall, Campus Box 7469, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7469, USA
| | - Shadi Eskaf
- UNC School of Government, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Liz Barr
- Community Scientific Sub-Committee, AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - David Palm
- Community Scientific Sub-Committee, AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), Baltimore, Maryland, USA.,Institute of Global Health and Infectious Diseases (IGHID), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Evelyn Hogg
- Social and Scientific Systems, Inc., a DLH Holdings Company, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Jane M. Simoni
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.,Department of Global Health, and Women, and Sexuality Studies, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.,Department of Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Jeremy Sugarman
- Johns Hopkins Berman Institute for Bioethics, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Brandon Brown
- Center for Healthy Communities, Department of Social Medicine, Population and Public Health, University of California, Riverside School of Medicine, Riverside, California, USA
| | - John A. Sauceda
- Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS), Division of Prevention Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Laney Henley
- Public Health Leadership Program and Health Policy and Management, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Steven Deeks
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Lawrence Fox
- Division of AIDS (DAIDS), National Institute of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Rajesh T. Gandhi
- Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Davey Smith
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, University of California, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Jonathan Z. Li
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Peay HL, Rennie S, Cadigan RJ, Gwaltney A, Jupimai T, Phanuphak N, Kroon E, Colby DJ, Ormsby N, Isaacson SC, Vasan S, Sacdalan C, Prueksakaew P, Benjapornpong K, Ananworanich J, Henderson GE. Attitudes About Analytic Treatment Interruption (ATI) in HIV Remission Trials with Different Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Resumption Criteria. AIDS Behav 2022; 26:1504-1516. [PMID: 34997386 PMCID: PMC9007833 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-021-03504-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
HIV remission trials often require temporary stopping of antiretroviral therapy (ART)-an approach called analytic treatment interruption (ATI). Trial designs resulting in viremia raise risks for participants and sexual partners. We conducted a survey on attitudes about remission trials, comparing ART resumption criteria (lower-risk "time to rebound" and higher-risk "sustained viremia") among participants from an acute HIV cohort in Thailand. Analyses included Wilcoxon-Ranks and multivariate logistic analysis. Most of 408 respondents supported ATI trials, with slightly higher approval of, and willingness to participate in, trials using time to rebound versus sustained viremia criteria. Less than half of respondents anticipated disclosing trial participation to partners and over half indicated uncertainty or unwillingness about whether partners would be willing to use PrEP. Willingness to participate was higher among those who rated higher trial approval, lower anticipated burden, and those expecting to make the decision independently. Our findings support acceptability of ATI trials among most respondents. Participant attitudes and anticipated behaviors, especially related to transmission risk, have implications for future trial design and informed consent.
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10
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Dubé K, Kanazawa J, Patel H, Louella M, Sylla L, Sheehy J, Dee L, Taylor J, Adair J, Anthony-Gonda K, Dropulić B, Sauceda JA, Peluso MJ, Deeks SG, Simoni J. Ethical and practical considerations for cell and gene therapy toward an HIV cure: findings from a qualitative in-depth interview study in the United States. BMC Med Ethics 2022; 23:39. [PMID: 35397551 PMCID: PMC8994300 DOI: 10.1186/s12910-022-00780-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND HIV cure research involving cell and gene therapy has intensified in recent years. There is a growing need to identify ethical standards and safeguards to ensure cell and gene therapy (CGT) HIV cure research remains valued and acceptable to as many stakeholders as possible as it advances on a global scale. METHODS To elicit preliminary ethical and practical considerations to guide CGT HIV cure research, we implemented a qualitative, in-depth interview study with three key stakeholder groups in the United States: (1) biomedical HIV cure researchers, (2) bioethicists, and (3) community stakeholders. Interviews permitted evaluation of informants' perspectives on how CGT HIV cure research should ethically occur, and were transcribed verbatim. We applied conventional content analysis focused on inductive reasoning to analyze the rich qualitative data and derive key ethical and practical considerations related to CGT towards an HIV cure. RESULTS We interviewed 13 biomedical researchers, 5 community members, and 1 bioethicist. Informants generated considerations related to: perceived benefits of CGT towards an HIV cure, perceived risks, considerations necessary to ensure an acceptable benefit/risk balance, CGT strategies considered unacceptable, additional ethical considerations, and considerations for first-in-human CGT HIV cure trials. Informants also proposed important safeguards to developing CGT approaches towards an HIV cure, such as the importance of mitigating off-target effects, mitigating risks associated with long-term duration of CGT interventions, and mitigating risks of immune overreactions. CONCLUSION Our study identified preliminary considerations for CGT-based HIV cure across three key stakeholder groups. Respondents identified an ideal cure strategy as one which would durably control HIV infection, protect the individual from re-acquisition, and eliminate transmission to others. Known and unknown risks should be anticipated and perceived as learning opportunities to preserve and honor the altruism of participants. Preclinical studies should support these considerations and be transparently reviewed by regulatory experts and peers prior to first-in-human studies. To protect the public trust in CGT HIV cure research, ethical and practical considerations should be periodically revisited and updated as the science continues to evolve. Additional ethics studies are required to expand stakeholder participation to include traditionally marginalized groups and clinical care providers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Dubé
- Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, 4108 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
- UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, 4108 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27516 USA
| | - John Kanazawa
- Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, 4108 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
| | - Hursch Patel
- Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, 4108 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
| | - Michael Louella
- defeatHIV Collaboratory, 1100 Fairview Avenue North, E5-110, Seattle, WA 98109 USA
| | - Laurie Sylla
- defeatHIV Collaboratory, 1100 Fairview Avenue North, E5-110, Seattle, WA 98109 USA
| | - Jeff Sheehy
- Independent Consultant, 1999 Harrison Street, Suite 1650, Oakland, CA 94612 USA
| | - Lynda Dee
- AIDS Action Baltimore, 14 East Eager Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 USA
- Delaney AIDS Research Enterprise (DARE) Community Advisory Board (CAB), 995 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94110 USA
| | - Jeff Taylor
- Delaney AIDS Research Enterprise (DARE) Community Advisory Board (CAB), 995 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94110 USA
- HIV + Aging Research Project – Palm Springs (HARP-PS), 1775 East Palm Canyon Drive, Suite 110-349, Palm Springs, CA 92264 USA
| | - Jen Adair
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Avenue N, Seattle, WA USA
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, 825 Eastlake Ave E, Seattle, WA USA
| | - Kim Anthony-Gonda
- Caring Cross, 708 Quince Orchard Road, Suite 250D, Gaithersburg, MD USA
| | - Boro Dropulić
- Caring Cross, 708 Quince Orchard Road, Suite 250D, Gaithersburg, MD USA
| | - John A. Sauceda
- Department of Medicine, Division of Prevention Science, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS), University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 550 16th Street, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94158 USA
| | - Michael J. Peluso
- Department of Medicine, Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco General Hospital, Ward 84, Building 80, San Francisco, CA 94110 USA
| | - Steven G. Deeks
- Department of Medicine, Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco General Hospital, Ward 84, Building 80, San Francisco, CA 94110 USA
| | - Jane Simoni
- Departments of Psychology and Global Health, University of Washington, 3909 Stevens Way CE, Box 351525, Seattle, WA USA
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11
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Gilbertson A, Tucker JD, Dubé K, Dijkstra M, Rennie S. Ethical considerations for HIV remission clinical research involving participants diagnosed during acute HIV infection. BMC Med Ethics 2021; 22:169. [PMID: 34961509 PMCID: PMC8714439 DOI: 10.1186/s12910-021-00716-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV remission clinical researchers are increasingly seeking study participants who are diagnosed and treated during acute HIV infection—the brief period between infection and the point when the body creates detectable HIV antibodies. This earliest stage of infection is often marked by flu-like illness and may be an especially tumultuous period of confusion, guilt, anger, and uncertainty. Such experiences may present added ethical challenges for HIV research recruitment, participation, and retention. The purpose of this paper is to identify potential ethical challenges associated with involving acutely diagnosed people living with HIV in remission research and considerations for how to mitigate them. We identify three domains of potential ethical concern for clinicians, researchers, and ethics committee members to consider: 1) Recruitment and informed consent; (2) Transmission risks and partner protection; and (3) Ancillary and continuing care. We discuss each of these domains with the aim of inspiring further work to advance the ethical conduct of HIV remission research. For example, experiences of confusion and uncertainty regarding illness and diagnosis during acute HIV infection may complicate informed consent procedures in studies that seek to recruit directly after diagnosis. To address this, it may be appropriate to use staged re-consent procedures or comprehension assessment. Responsible conduct of research requires a broad understanding of acute HIV infection that encompasses its biomedical, psychological, social, and behavioral dimensions. We argue that the lived experience of acute HIV infection may introduce ethical concerns that researchers and reviewers should address during study design and ethical approval.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Gilbertson
- Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Chapel Hill Center, 101 Conner Drive, Suite 200, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514-7038, USA. .,UNC Center for Bioethics, Department of Social Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
| | - Joseph D Tucker
- Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.,Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WCE1, UK.,UNC Project-China, 2 Lujing Road, Guangzhou, China
| | - Karine Dubé
- Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Maartje Dijkstra
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Infectious Diseases, Public Health Service Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Stuart Rennie
- UNC Center for Bioethics, Department of Social Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
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12
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Dubé K, Kanazawa J, Dee L, Taylor J, Sauceda JA, Gianella S, Smith D, Deeks SG, Peluso MJ. Considerations for designing and implementing combination HIV cure trials: findings from a qualitative in-depth interview study in the United States. AIDS Res Ther 2021; 18:75. [PMID: 34663375 PMCID: PMC8522863 DOI: 10.1186/s12981-021-00401-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND An increasing number of HIV cure trials involve combining multiple potentially curative interventions. Until now, considerations for designing and implementing complex combination HIV cure trials have not been thoroughly considered. METHODS We used a purposive method to select key informants for our study. Informants included biomedical HIV cure researchers, regulators, policy makers, bioethicists, and community members. We used in-depth interviews to generate ethical and practical considerations to guide the design and implementation of combination HIV cure research. We analyzed the qualitative data using conventional content analysis focused on inductive reasoning. RESULTS We interviewed 11 biomedical researchers, 4 community members, 2 regulators, 1 policy researcher, and 1 bioethicist. Informants generated considerations for designing and implementing combination interventions towards an HIV cure, focused on ethical aspects, as well as considerations to guide trial design, benefit/risk determinations, regulatory requirements, prioritization and sequencing and timing of interventions, among others. Informants also provided considerations related to combining specific HIV cure research modalities, such as broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs), cell and gene modification products, latency-reversing agents and immune-based interventions. Finally, informants provided suggestions to ensure meaningful therapeutic improvements over standard antiretroviral therapy, overcome challenges of designing combination approaches, and engage communities around combination HIV cure research. CONCLUSION The increasing number of combination HIV cure trials brings with them a host of ethical and practical challenges. We hope our paper will inform meaningful stakeholder dialogue around the use of combinatorial HIV cure research approaches. To protect the public trust in HIV cure research, considerations should be periodically revisited and updated with key stakeholder input as the science continues to advance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Dubé
- University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health, 4108 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
- UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, 4108 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27516 USA
| | - John Kanazawa
- University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health, 4108 McGavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
| | - Lynda Dee
- AIDS Action Baltimore, 14 East Eager Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 USA
- Delaney AIDS Research Enterprise (DARE) Community Advisory Board (CAB), 995 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94110 USA
| | - Jeff Taylor
- Delaney AIDS Research Enterprise (DARE) Community Advisory Board (CAB), 995 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94110 USA
- HIV+Aging Research Project-Palm Springs (H+ARP-PS), 1775 East Palm Canyon Drive, Suite 110-349, Palm Springs, CA 92264 USA
| | - John A. Sauceda
- Department of Medicine, Division of Prevention Science, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS), University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), 550 16th Street, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94158 USA
| | - Sara Gianella
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA
| | - Davey Smith
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA
- AntiViral Research Center (AVRC), University of California at San Diego, 220 Dickinson Street, Suite A, San Diego, CA 92103 USA
| | - Steven G. Deeks
- Department of Medicine, Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Ward 84, Building 80, San Francisco, CA 94110 USA
| | - Michael J. Peluso
- Department of Medicine, Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Ward 84, Building 80, San Francisco, CA 94110 USA
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13
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Gilles I, Lesage S, Barbieux C, Alessandrini M, Jackson-Perry D, Vittoz L, Peytremann-Bridevaux I, Calmy A. Brief Report: Representations and Willingness of People Living With HIV in Switzerland to Participate in HIV Cure Trials: The Case of Gene-Modified Cell Therapies. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2021; 87:1154-1160. [PMID: 34229328 DOI: 10.1097/qai.0000000000002693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent advances made in cell and gene therapies for cancer suggest that they represent plausible strategies to cure HIV. However, the health risks and constraints associated with these therapies require a deeper understanding of the expectations of such treatments among people living with HIV (PLWH). METHODS We conducted 15 semistructured in-depth interviews among patients from 2 HIV units in Switzerland. After a conversation about their perceptions of research on HIV therapies, participants were provided with a trial description using a gene-modified cell therapy as a potentially curative approach. They were invited to discuss how they might consider participation in the trial. Content analysis was performed to identify core themes. RESULTS Participants perceived the trial as burdensome and uncertain. Most were aware that cure was not guaranteed, and 6 of the 15 considered that they would participate. Two main concerns were expressed about potential participation: (1) the impact on the professional life and fear to be stigmatized because of this and (2) the fact that stopping antiretroviral treatment would challenge the balance currently achieved in their lives. The decision to participate would depend on their understanding of the trial, the availability of sufficient information, and the relationship with health care professionals. CONCLUSION Involving PLWH in early stages of research would be crucial to improve their understanding of gene-modified cell therapies. It could also help adapt trials to address key factors, including the anticipation of stigma, which may discourage PLWH from participating in treatment research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid Gilles
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Systems, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Saphir Lesage
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Systems, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Charlotte Barbieux
- HIV/AIDS Unit, Department of Infectious Diseases, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Marco Alessandrini
- Department of Pathology and Immunology (PATIM), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; and
| | - David Jackson-Perry
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Lucie Vittoz
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Systems, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Isabelle Peytremann-Bridevaux
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Systems, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alexandra Calmy
- HIV/AIDS Unit, Department of Infectious Diseases, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
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14
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Achieving a cure for HIV or hepatitis B virus (HBV) is expected to have a range of salutary effects including eliminating the need for continued treatments, minimizing risk to sexual and injecting partners, reducing prevalence, and decreasing stigma. Nevertheless, conducting research to achieve such laudable goals is necessarily associated with a broad set of ethical challenges. This review aims at describing key findings from selected peer-reviewed literature published in the last 2 years (2018-2019) that enhance understanding of some of these issues. RECENT FINDINGS A variety of ethical issues in HIV cure research have been informed by recent conceptual and empirical scholarship. These include: analytical treatment interruptions; attitudes towards participation; responsibilities to nonparticipants; consent and terminology; and selected other issues. SUMMARY Understanding of the ethical issues in HIV cure research has been enhanced by sustained normative and empirical scholarship with a range of stakeholders. This work has crucial implications for HBV cure research, but there is also a pressing need for directed work on HBV cure research. In both HIV and HBV cure research, such scholarship promises to help ensure that critically important research efforts are ethically sound.
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15
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Hsu DC, Mellors JW, Vasan S. Can Broadly Neutralizing HIV-1 Antibodies Help Achieve an ART-Free Remission? Front Immunol 2021; 12:710044. [PMID: 34322136 PMCID: PMC8311790 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.710044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Many broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) targeting the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein are being assessed in clinical trials as strategies for HIV-1 prevention, treatment, and antiretroviral-free remission. BnAbs can neutralize HIV-1 and target infected cells for elimination. Concerns about HIV-1 resistance to single bnAbs have led to studies of bnAb combinations with non-overlapping resistance profiles. This review focuses on the potential for bnAbs to induce HIV-1 remission, either alone or in combination with latency reversing agents, therapeutic vaccines or other novel therapeutics. Key topics include preliminary activity of bnAbs in preclinical models and in human studies of HIV-1 remission, clinical trial designs, and antibody design strategies to optimize pharmacokinetics, coverage of rebound-competent virus, and enhancement of cellular immune functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise C Hsu
- U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, United States.,Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - John W Mellors
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Sandhya Vasan
- U.S. Military HIV Research Program, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, United States.,Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Bethesda, MD, United States
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16
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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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17
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Diepstra KL, Barr L, Palm D, Hogg E, Mollan KR, Henley L, Stover AM, Simoni JM, Sugarman J, Brown B, Sauceda JA, Deeks S, Fox L, Gandhi RT, Smith D, Li JZ, Dubé K. Participant Perspectives and Experiences Entering an Intensively Monitored Antiretroviral Pause: Results from the AIDS Clinical Trials Group A5345 Biomarker Study. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2021; 37:489-501. [PMID: 33472545 DOI: 10.1089/aid.2020.0222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) A5345 study included an intensively monitored antiretroviral pause (IMAP), during which a cohort of participants temporarily stopped antiretroviral treatment during chronic HIV infection. We surveyed participant perceptions and understanding of A5345 using a cross-sectional sociobehavioral questionnaire. Participants completed the baseline questionnaire either before or after initiating the study's IMAP. Questionnaire responses were linked to existing demographic data. Quantitative responses were analyzed overall and stratified by IMAP status. Open-ended responses were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Thirty-two participants completed the baseline sociobehavioral questionnaire. Half (n = 16) completed it before (i.e., pre-IMAP initiation group) and half (n = 16) after IMAP initiation (i.e., post-IMAP initiation group). Eight pre-IMAP initiation respondents (50%) and 11 post-IMAP respondents (69%) responded "yes" when asked if they perceived any direct benefits from participating in A5345. Perceived societal-level benefits included furthering HIV cure-related research and helping the HIV community. Perceived personal-level benefits included the opportunity to learn about the body's response to IMAP and financial compensation. The majority of respondents-13 from each group (81% of each)-reported risks from participation, for example, viral load becoming detectable. A5345 participants perceived both societal- and personal-level benefits of study participation. While the majority of survey respondents perceived participatory risks, nearly one in five did not. Key messages pertaining to study-related risks and benefits may need to be clarified or reiterated periodically throughout follow-up in HIV cure-related studies with IMAPs. Clinical Trail Registration Number: NCT03001128.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen L. Diepstra
- UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Liz Barr
- AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) Community Scientific Sub-Committee, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - David Palm
- Institute of Global Health and Infectious Diseases (IGHID), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Evelyn Hogg
- Social & Scientific Systems, a DLH Company, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Katie R. Mollan
- Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Laney Henley
- UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Angela M. Stover
- UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jane M. Simoni
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Department of Global Health and Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Jeremy Sugarman
- Johns Hopkins Berman Institute for Bioethics, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Brandon Brown
- Department of Social Medicine, Population and Public Health, Center for Healthy Communities, University of California, Riverside School of Medicine, Riverside, California, USA
| | - John A. Sauceda
- Division of Prevention Sciences, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS), University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Steven Deeks
- Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Lawrence Fox
- National Institute of Health (NIH) Division of AIDS (DAIDS), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Davey Smith
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Health, University of California, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Jonathan Z. Li
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Karine Dubé
- UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
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18
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Henderson GE, Rennie S, Corneli A, Peay HL. Cohorts as collections of bodies and communities of persons: insights from the SEARCH010/RV254 research cohort. Int Health 2021; 12:584-590. [PMID: 33165552 PMCID: PMC7650957 DOI: 10.1093/inthealth/ihaa060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Longitudinal research cohorts are uniquely suited to answer research questions about morbidity and mortality. Cohorts may be comprised of individuals identified by specific conditions or other shared traits. We argue that research cohorts are more than simply aggregations of individuals and their associated data to meet research objectives. They are social communities comprised of members, investigators and organizations whose own interests, identities and cultures interact and evolve over time. The literature describes a range of scientific and ethical challenges and opportunities associated with cohorts. To advance these deliberations, we report examples from the literature and our own research on the Thai SEARCH010/RV254 cohort, comprising individuals diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) during acute infection. We reflect on the impact of cohort experiences and identity, and specifically how people incorporate cohort participation into meaning making associated with their diagnosis, the influence of cohort participation on decision making for early-phase clinical trials recruited from within the cohort, and the impact of the relationships that exist between researchers and participants. These data support the concept of cohorts as communities of persons, where identity is shaped, in part, through cohort experiences. The social meanings associated with cohorts have implications for the ethics of cohort-based research, as social contexts inevitably affect the ways that ethical concerns manifest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gail E Henderson
- Department of Social Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, 347A MacNider, 333 South Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7240, USA
| | - Stuart Rennie
- Department of Social Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, 347A MacNider, 333 South Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7240, USA
| | - Amy Corneli
- Departments of Population Health Sciences and Medicine, School of Medicine, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University, 215 Morris Street, Durham, NC 27701
| | - Holly L Peay
- RTI International, 3040 E Cornwallis Rd, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
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19
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Ugarte A, Romero Y, Tricas A, Casado C, Lopez-Galindez C, Garcia F, Leal L. Unintended HIV-1 Infection During Analytical Therapy Interruption. J Infect Dis 2021; 221:1740-1742. [PMID: 31742347 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiz611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Accepted: 11/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ainoa Ugarte
- Infectious Diseases-HIV Unit, Hospital Clínic Barcelona, University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - Yolanda Romero
- Infectious Diseases-HIV Unit, Hospital Clínic Barcelona, University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - Amparo Tricas
- Infectious Diseases-HIV Unit, Hospital Clínic Barcelona, University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - Concepcion Casado
- Molecular Virology Unit, Reference Laboratory and Retroviruses Research, Microbiology National Center, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | - Cecilio Lopez-Galindez
- Molecular Virology Unit, Reference Laboratory and Retroviruses Research, Microbiology National Center, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | - Felipe Garcia
- Infectious Diseases-HIV Unit, Hospital Clínic Barcelona, University of Barcelona, Spain.,AIDS Research Group-HIVACAT (HIV Vaccine development program in Catalonia), Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lorna Leal
- Infectious Diseases-HIV Unit, Hospital Clínic Barcelona, University of Barcelona, Spain.,AIDS Research Group-HIVACAT (HIV Vaccine development program in Catalonia), Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi I Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
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20
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Perry KE, Dubé K, Concha-Garcia S, Patel H, Kaytes A, Taylor J, Javadi SS, Mathur K, Lo M, Brown B, Sauceda JA, Wohl DA, Little S, Hendrickx S, Rawlings SA, Smith DM, Gianella S. "My Death Will Not [Be] in Vain": Testimonials from Last Gift Rapid Research Autopsy Study Participants Living with HIV at the End of Life. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2020; 36:1071-1082. [PMID: 32449625 PMCID: PMC7703253 DOI: 10.1089/aid.2020.0020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
End-of-life (EOL) HIV cure-related research provides a novel approach to studying HIV reservoirs. The Last Gift is a rapid autopsy research study at the University of California San Diego that enrolls terminally ill people living with HIV (PLWHIV) with a desire to contribute to HIV cure-related research. We conducted in-depth baseline and follow-up interviews with Last Gift study participants. We analyzed interview data applying conventional content analysis. Since summer 2017, 13 participants have been enrolled (n = 11 males and 2 females; aged 45-89 years) and 8 participants interviewed. Terminal illnesses included cancers, heart diseases, and neurodegenerative illnesses. Our analysis revealed five key themes: (1) The Last Gift study has tremendous meaning for participants at the end of their life. (2) HIV-specific altruism was a primary motivator to join the Last Gift study, nested within the context of community, scientific advancement, and moral obligation. (3) Participants did not expect physical benefits yet they perceived emotional/psychological, financial, and societal/scientific benefits. (4) There were minimal participant-perceived risks and concerns. (5) Last Gift participants expressed immense gratitude toward study staff. The Last Gift study provides a framework for ethical HIV cure-related research at EOL and highlighted participants' perspectives, motivations, and experiences. Knowing how PLWHIV understand and experience such studies will remain critical to designing ethical, fully informed HIV cure research protocols that are acceptable to PLWHIV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly E. Perry
- Public Health Leadership Program, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Karine Dubé
- Public Health Leadership Program, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Susanna Concha-Garcia
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, AntiViral Research Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
- HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Hursch Patel
- Public Health Leadership Program, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Andy Kaytes
- Community Advisory Board, AntiViral Research Center, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Jeff Taylor
- Community Advisory Board, AntiViral Research Center, San Diego, California, USA
- HIV+Aging Research Project–Palm Springs (HARP-PS), Palm Springs, California, USA
| | - Sogol Stephanie Javadi
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, AntiViral Research Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Kushagra Mathur
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, AntiViral Research Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Megan Lo
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, AntiViral Research Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Brandon Brown
- Department of Social Medicine, Population and Public Health, Center for Healthy Communities, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California, USA
| | - John A. Sauceda
- Department of Medicine, Division of Prevention Sciences, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - David A. Wohl
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Global Health and Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Susan Little
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, AntiViral Research Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Steven Hendrickx
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, AntiViral Research Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Stephen A. Rawlings
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, AntiViral Research Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Davey M. Smith
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, AntiViral Research Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Sara Gianella
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, AntiViral Research Center, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
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21
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Henderson GE, Rennie S, Corneli A, Meagher K, Cadigan RJ, Kroon E, Ananworanich J, Peay HL. Parallel but connected: Nuances of conducting behavioral and social science research alongside ethically challenging HIV remission trials. Contemp Clin Trials Commun 2020; 19:100594. [PMID: 32617433 PMCID: PMC7322675 DOI: 10.1016/j.conctc.2020.100594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2020] [Revised: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Collaborations between clinical investigators and behavioral and social science researchers (BSSR) produce many benefits, but also may generate challenges and complexities. Ongoing relationships between teams may affect the research carried out by the BSSR team and the way they interpret their findings. Here we describe our experiences conducting the HIV Remission ('Cure') Trials Decision-Making Study (DMS), in Thailand; these trials include potentially risky interventions and interruption of standard antiretroviral treatment, with little personal benefit. The DMS is a longitudinal study of the experiences of individuals recruited to such early-phase trials, and conducted alongside these trials. It originated in clinical investigators' concerns about the ability of those recruited to make voluntary and informed decisions about scientifically complex studies, and is led by an independent group of BSSR and ethics researchers. In conducting this study, we experienced three overarching challenges to achieving a successful and dynamic collaboration: managing emerging findings as data were collected alongside clinical trial participation; evolving interconnectedness and shifting partnership boundaries among investigators; and the process of incorporating new research questions. By describing these challenges, we provide experiential evidence on how to manage multidimensional aspects of these collaborations. We describe how our research teams came together as well as the challenges and opportunities we experienced along the way. Our aim is to raise awareness of the scientific, practical, and ethical complexities of establishing and maintaining this kind of broad multidisciplinary collaboration over time. By describing our experiences, we hope to advance an agenda for others who undertake similar partnerships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gail E. Henderson
- Department of Social Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Stuart Rennie
- Department of Social Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Amy Corneli
- Departments of Population Health Sciences and Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Karen Meagher
- Health Sciences Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - R. Jean Cadigan
- Department of Social Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Eugène Kroon
- The Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Centre, 104 Rajdumri Road Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10330 Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Jintanat Ananworanich
- Department of Global Health, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, and Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Meibergdreef 9, 1105, AZ, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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22
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Castagna A, Muccini C, Galli L, Bigoloni A, Poli A, Spagnuolo V, Nozza S, Racca S, Galli A, Cinque P, Carini E, Lazzarin A. Analytical treatment interruption in chronic HIV-1 infection: time and magnitude of viral rebound in adults with 10 years of undetectable viral load and low HIV-DNA (APACHE study). J Antimicrob Chemother 2020; 74:2039-2046. [PMID: 31225610 DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkz138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2018] [Revised: 02/28/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Despite the fact that there are individuals who have chronic HIV infection, few studies have investigated ART interruption in this setting. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability to spontaneously control viral replication during analytical treatment interruption (ATI) in adults with chronic HIV-1 infection, on ART, with suppressed viraemia for >10 years and with a low reservoir. PATIENTS AND METHODS This was a prospective, open-label, single-arm, non-randomized, proof-of-concept study (NCT03198325) of subjects with chronic HIV-1 infection, HIV-RNA <50 copies/mL for ≥10 years, without residual viraemia for ≥5 years, CD4+ >500 cells/mm3, HIV-DNA <100 copies/106 PBMCs and without comorbidities or AIDS-defining diseases. Enrolled patients were strictly monitored. The ART regimen in use at ATI was resumed in the case of confirmed viral rebound (CVR, two consecutive HIV-RNA >50 copies/mL). Results are reported as median (IQR). RESULTS Nine patients underwent ATI. All participants experienced CVR [4.84 (IQR: 3.47-6.47) HIV-RNA log10 copies/mL] after ATI at a median time of 21 days (range 14-56) and restarted ART. After ART resumption, all the subjects achieved HIV-RNA <50 copies/mL in a median of 88 days (range 15-197). No serious adverse event occurred; one subject experienced acute retroviral syndrome. No significant correlation between baseline factors and time to viral rebound was observed, while the magnitude of viral rebound was significantly associated with pre-ART HIV-1 RNA (Spearman r = 0.786, P = 0.036), nadir CD4+ (Spearman r = -0.800, P = 0.010), baseline CD4+ (Spearman r = -0.667, P = 0.049) and years with undetectable viral load (Spearman r = -0.717, P = 0.030). CONCLUSIONS Despite a long period of HIV viral load suppression and a low viral reservoir, early and consistent viral rebound was observed during ATI in all subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonella Castagna
- Infectious Diseases, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Laura Galli
- Infectious Diseases, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Alba Bigoloni
- Infectious Diseases, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Poli
- Infectious Diseases, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Spagnuolo
- Infectious Diseases, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Nozza
- Infectious Diseases, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Racca
- Laboratory of Microbiology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Galli
- Infectious Diseases, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Paola Cinque
- Infectious Diseases, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Carini
- Infectious Diseases, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Adriano Lazzarin
- Infectious Diseases, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
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23
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Eyal N, Lipsitch M, Smith PG. Human Challenge Studies to Accelerate Coronavirus Vaccine Licensure. J Infect Dis 2020; 221:1752-1756. [PMID: 32232474 PMCID: PMC7184325 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Controlled human challenge trials of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates could accelerate the testing and potential rollout of efficacious vaccines. By replacing conventional phase 3 testing of vaccine candidates, such trials may subtract many months from the licensure process, making efficacious vaccines available more quickly. Obviously, challenging volunteers with this live virus risks inducing severe disease and possibly even death. However, we argue that such studies, by accelerating vaccine evaluation, could reduce the global burden of coronavirus-related mortality and morbidity. Volunteers in such studies could autonomously authorize the risks to themselves, and their net risk could be acceptable if participants comprise healthy young adults, who are at relatively low risk of serious disease following natural infection, if they have a high baseline risk of natural infection, and if during the trial they receive frequent monitoring and, following any infection, the best available care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nir Eyal
- Center for Population-Level Bioethics, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Philosophy, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Health Behavior, Society and Policy, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Marc Lipsitch
- Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Peter G Smith
- MRC Tropical Epidemiology Group, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
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24
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Dubé K, Auerbach JD, Stirratt MJ, Gaist P. Applying the Behavioural and Social Sciences Research (BSSR) Functional Framework to HIV Cure Research. J Int AIDS Soc 2019; 22:e25404. [PMID: 31665568 PMCID: PMC6820877 DOI: 10.1002/jia2.25404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Revised: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The search for an HIV cure involves important behavioural and social processes that complement the domains of biomedicine. However, the field has yet to tap into the full potential of behavioural and social sciences research (BSSR). In this article, we apply Gaist and Stirratt's BSSR Functional Framework to the field of HIV cure research. DISCUSSION The BSSR Functional Framework describes four key research domains: (1) basic BSSR (understanding basic behavioural and social factors), (2) elemental BSSR (advancing behavioural and social interventions), (3) supportive BSSR (strengthening biomedically focused clinical trials), and (4) integrative BSSR (building multi-disciplinary combination approaches for real-world implementation). In revisiting and applying the BSSR Functional Framework, we clarify the importance of BSSR in HIV cure research by drawing attention to such things as: how language and communication affect the meaning of "cure" to people living with HIV (PLHIV) and broader communities; how cure affects the identity and social position of PLHIV; counselling and support interventions to address the psychosocial needs and concerns of study participants related to analytical treatment interruptions (ATIs); risk reduction in the course of ATI study participation; motivation, acceptability, and decision-making processes of potential study participants related to different cure strategies; HIV care providers' perceptions and attitudes about their patients' participation in cure research; potential social harms or adverse social events associated with cure research participation; and the scalability of a proven cure strategy in the context of further advances in HIV prevention and treatment. We also discuss the BSSR Functional Framework in the context of ATIs, which involve processes at the confluence of the BSSR domains. CONCLUSIONS To move HIV cure regimens through the translational research pathway, attention will need to be paid to both biomedical and socio-behavioural elements. BSSR can contribute an improved understanding of the human and social dimensions related to HIV cure research and the eventual application of HIV cure regimens. The BSSR Functional Framework provides a way to identify advances, gaps and opportunities to craft an integrated, multi-disciplinary approach at all stages of cure research to ensure the real-world applicability of any strategy that shows promise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Dubé
- UNC Gillings School of Global Public HealthUniversity of North CarolinaChapel HillNCUSA
| | - Judith D Auerbach
- School of MedicineUniversity of California San FranciscoSan FranciscoCAUSA
| | - Michael J Stirratt
- Division of AIDS Research (DAR)National Institute of Mental HealthNational Institutes of HealthBethesdaMDUSA
| | - Paul Gaist
- Office of AIDS ResearchDivision of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic InitiativesOffice of the DirectorNational Institutes of HealthBethesdaMDUSA
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Psomas CK, Fidler S, Macartney M, Jeffreys R, Reilly L, Collins S, Moreno S, Routy JP, Pasternak A, Kinloch-de Loës S. Highlights from the 22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018), 22-27 July 2018, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. J Virus Erad 2018; 4:238-247. [PMID: 30515304 PMCID: PMC6248835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Important data on the social, epidemiological and clinical aspects of HIV-1, comorbidities and hepatitis as well as data on novel antiretroviral agents and the cure agenda were presented at AIDS 2018. This report covers some of the highlights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina K Psomas
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine,
European Hospital,
Marseille,
France
| | | | - Malcolm Macartney
- Janssen, Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson and Johnson.
Canterbury,
UK
| | | | - Lisa Reilly
- ,
US Military HIV Research Program,
Bethesda,
MA,
USA
| | | | | | | | - Alexander Pasternak
- Department of Medical Microbiology,
Laboratory of Experimental Virology, AMC,
Amsterdam,
the Netherlands
| | - Sabine Kinloch-de Loës
- Department of Infection and Immunity,
Royal Free Hospital and University College,
London,
UK
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26
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Psomas CK, Fidler S, Macartney M, Jeffreys R, Reilly L, Collins S, Moreno S, Routy JP, Pasternak A, Kinloch-de Loës S. Highlights from the 22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018), 22–27 July 2018, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. J Virus Erad 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/s2055-6640(20)30310-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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27
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Opinion: Risk to study nonparticipants: A procedural approach. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:8051-8053. [PMID: 30087210 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1810920115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
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