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Barr E, Marshall LJ, Collins LF, Godfrey C, St Vil N, Stockman JK, Davey DLJ, Dong K, Temkin SM, Glenshaw MT, Byrd C, Clayton JA, Goodenow MM. Centring the health of women across the HIV research continuum. Lancet HIV 2024; 11:e186-e194. [PMID: 38417977 PMCID: PMC11301651 DOI: 10.1016/s2352-3018(24)00004-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
Despite tremendous advances in HIV research, women and gender diverse people-particularly women from racial and ethnic groups under-represented in research, transgender women, and young women-remain disproportionately affected by HIV. Women and gender diverse people face unique challenges and have been under-represented in HIV research. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is tasked to apply fundamental knowledge about the nature and behaviour of living systems to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce disability. Rigorous exploration of-and interventions for-the individual, social, biological, structural, and environmental factors that influence HIV prevention, transmission, treatment, and cure is crucial to advance research for women, girls, and gender diverse people across the lifespan. In this Position Paper, we introduce a framework for an intersectional, equity-informed, data-driven approach to research on HIV and women and highlight selected issues for women and gender diverse people, including HIV prevention, HIV cure, ageing with HIV, substance use and misuse, violence, pregnancy, and breastfeeding or chestfeeding. This framework underlines a new HIV and Women Signature Programme from the NIH Office of AIDS Research and Office of Research on Women's Health that advances the NIH vision for women's health, in which all women receive evidence-based HIV prevention, treatment, and care across their lifespan tailored to their unique needs, circumstances, and goals. The time is now to centre the health of women, girls, and gender diverse people across the HIV research continuum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Barr
- Office of Research on Women's Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Leslie J Marshall
- Office of AIDS Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Lauren F Collins
- Emory University School of Medicine and the Grady Ponce de Leon Center, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Catherine Godfrey
- Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator, Department of State, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Noelle St Vil
- University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Jamila K Stockman
- University of California San Diego School of Medicine, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Dvora L Joseph Davey
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Krista Dong
- Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA; Infectious Diseases Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sarah M Temkin
- Office of Research on Women's Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Mary T Glenshaw
- Office of AIDS Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Corette Byrd
- Office of AIDS Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Janine A Clayton
- Office of Research on Women's Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Maureen M Goodenow
- Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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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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Baffoe-Bonnie MS, Jameson Floyd K, Livinski AA, Grady C. A scoping review exploring cure definitions and language for inherited hemoglobinopathies. GENETICS IN MEDICINE OPEN 2023; 2:100838. [PMID: 38516178 PMCID: PMC10956708 DOI: 10.1016/j.gimo.2023.100838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Purpose Sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia are some of the first targets for potentially curative cell-based therapies. Currently, bone marrow transplants, stem cell transplants, and gene therapy are being researched and utilized for people living with these hemoglobinopathies. Although these therapies are often described as curative, there is not a clear definition of what cure means for these hemoglobinopathies. Methods Five databases were searched for this scoping review. Two reviewers screened each article at the title/abstract and full text levels using Covidence. Articles were included if they were (1) about bone marrow transplants, stem cell transplants, or gene therapy; (2) conditions of focus were sickle cell disease or beta thalassemia; and (3) reported original data on clinical outcomes, psychosocial outcomes, or key stakeholder perspectives and opinions. Data were collected by 2 reviewers also using Covidence, and analyses were conducted in Excel and R. Results We found that, although cure is widely and indiscriminately used, it is not often defined, and when cure is defined, there is no clear convergence or consensus on the definition. Furthermore, cure is often qualified and undefined euphemisms for cure are often used. We also report the major ways in which the success and complications of these treatment modalities are described. Conclusion We frame the significance of our findings by discussing their scientific, ethical, and social implications and focus on the need for precise and clear terminology that centers lived experience and acknowledges the interplay between scientific and lay expertise and perceptions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marilyn S. Baffoe-Bonnie
- Health Disparities Unit, Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD
- Department of Bioethics, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, MD
- Department of Sociology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
| | - K. Jameson Floyd
- Health Disparities Unit, Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD
| | - Alicia A. Livinski
- National Institutes of Health Library, Office of Research Services, Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Christine Grady
- Department of Bioethics, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, MD
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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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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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Dubé K, Agarwal H, Stockman JK, Auerbach JD, Sauceda JA, Conroy AA, Johnson MO. "I Would Absolutely Need to Know That My Partner Is Still Going to be Protected": Perceptions of HIV Cure-Related Research Among Diverse HIV Serodifferent Couples in the United States. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2023; 39:400-413. [PMID: 35972752 PMCID: PMC10387158 DOI: 10.1089/aid.2022.0036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Most HIV cure studies remain in the early stage of investigation and may carry clinical risks to the participants and, in some cases, their partners. Surprisingly little sociobehavioral research has investigated the perceptions of couples-including HIV serodifferent couples-around HIV cure research, including factors that would influence recruitment and retention in trials. We conducted a qualitative study to explore perceptions of diverse HIV serodifferent partners in the United States. We recruited 10 diverse HIV serodifferent couples (20 participants). We found participants had learned to cope with the reality of HIV, including protections during sex, and ascribed both positive and negative meanings to an HIV cure. Partners expressed concern about each other's health and potentially caring for a sick partner and emphasized the importance of safety when participating in an HIV cure trial. They identified the need for partner protection measures during analytical treatment interruptions (ATIs) as an ethical imperative. Participants recounted experiences of HIV stigma due to being in HIV serodifferent relationships and viewed ATIs as leading to a detectable viral load, which could limit sexual expression, complicate disclosure decision making, and worsen HIV-related stigma. Our study's main contribution is to inform efforts to meaningfully engage diverse HIV serodifferent partners in HIV cure research in the United States. Our data suggest people with HIV make decisions to participate in research based on close ones in their life and underscore the critical importance of acknowledging relationship dynamics in decisions to participate in research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Dubé
- Health Policy and Management, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, North Carolina USA
| | - Harsh Agarwal
- Health Policy and Management, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, North Carolina USA
| | - Jamila K. Stockman
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), San Diego, California, USA
| | - Judith D. Auerbach
- Division of Prevention Science, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, California, USA
| | - John A. Sauceda
- Division of Prevention Science, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Amy A. Conroy
- Division of Prevention Science, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Mallory O. Johnson
- Division of Prevention Science, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, California, USA
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Okumu EA, Henderson GE, Golin C, Kuczynski K, Ormsby NQ, Peay HL. HIV remission trial investigators' attitudes towards risk and risk mitigation in trials that include treatment interruption. J Virus Erad 2023; 9:100331. [PMID: 37416088 PMCID: PMC10319831 DOI: 10.1016/j.jve.2023.100331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Early-phase HIV remission ("cure") trials aim to test interventions developed to eradicate HIV or to sustainably control HIV without antiretroviral treatment (ART). Many remission trials include analytic treatment interruption (ATI) to evaluate interventions, which increases the risk to participants and their sexual partners. We conducted an online questionnaire of international HIV remission trial investigators and other study team members to assess their expectations regarding the time to achieve long-term control of HIV replication without treatment (functional cure) or complete eradication of replication-competent HIV virus (sterilizing cure); attitudes toward HIV remission research and the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of six HIV transmission risk mitigation strategies during trials with ATI of fixed duration. Nearly half of respondents (47%) reported expecting a functional cure for HIV to be achieved in 5-10 years, and one-third (35%) reported 10-20 years for a sterilizing cure to be achieved. On a scale of -3 to 3, mean scores indicated greater respondent concern about the risk of HIV transmission to partners during ATI (Time to rebound Mean: 0.4 and Fixed duration Mean: 11), compared to participant health risks from ATI (Time to Rebound Mean: -.9 and Fixed duration Mean: 0.0). With regard to feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy respectively, mitigation efforts rated positively included: requiring counseling for potential participants (Means: 2.3; 2.1; and 1.1), providing partner referrals for PrEP (Means: 1.3; 1.3; 1.5), providing pre-exposure proxylaxis directly to partners (Means: 1.0; 1.5; 1.6), and monitoring participants for new sexually transmitted disease acquisition (Means: 1.9; 1.4; 1.0). Respondents were less positive about requiring that participants' sexual partner(s) participate in risk counseling or limiting participation to those who commit to abstaining from sex during the entire ATI period. Our study demonstrates that HIV remission trial investigators and study team members are concerned about the risk of transmission to sexual partners during ATI. Separating the assessment of risk mitigation strategies for transmission risk into feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy allows the discovery of strategies that may best achieve all three outcomes. Additional research is needed to compare these more fine-grained assessments with views held by other investigators, people living with HIV, and trial participants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eunice Akinyi Okumu
- Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
| | - Gail E. Henderson
- Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
| | - Carol Golin
- Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Department of Health Behavior, Gillings Global School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
| | - Kriste Kuczynski
- Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
| | - Nuchanart Q. Ormsby
- Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
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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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Abstract
Over the past decade, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have emerged as the prototype gene therapy for B cell leukemias. These so-called living drugs are derived from a patient's own cells, reprogrammed to recognize and destroy cancer cells, and then reintroduced into the body. The huge success of this therapy for cancer is rooted in pioneering clinical and preclinical studies, established more than three decades ago, focused on persistent HIV-1 infection. In this issue of the JCI, Bingfeng Liu et al. revisit HIV-specific CAR T cells in an important clinical study that supports broader application of this groundbreaking therapy. Although curative endpoints were not achieved, these findings lay the foundation for augmented approaches applying combinatorial technologies including antigen supplementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher W Peterson
- Stem Cell and Gene Therapy Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA.,Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
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