Description

A very small percentage of people with HIV-1, known as “post-treatment controllers” (PTCs), are able to control their infection after interrupting all antiretroviral therapy.

Understanding the fundamental mechanisms that govern their immune response is essential in order to develop HIV-1 vaccines, novel therapeutic strategies to achieve remission, or both.

A recent study investigated the humoral immune response – also known as antibody-mediated immunity – in some PTCs in whom transient episodes of viral activity were observed. The researchers have shown their humoral immune response to be both effective and robust, which could help to control the infection in the absence of treatment.

The findings of this study, carried out in collaboration with teams from Institut Pasteur, Inserm and Paris Public Hospitals Group (AP-HP) and supported by ANRS | Emerging Infectious Diseases and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), were published in Nature Communications on April 11, 2022.

Keywords: HIV, remission, antibodies, post-treatment controllers, PTC

Linked Projects

Funded Research Project

Title: Viral dynamics of rebound and control following early treatment of HIV/SIV (NIH)

The results of the ANRS EP47 VISCONTI (Viro-Immunological Sustained COntrol after Treatment Interruption) study provided proof of concept that a state of sustainable HIV remission may be induced in at least some people with HIV: the post-treatment controllers (PTC). Unlike natural controllers, PTCs presented a symptomatic primary HIV-1 infection with high viral load and low… Continue reading Viral dynamics of rebound and control following early treatment of HIV/SIV (NIH)

Country
France
Starting year
2017
Duration
5 years
Budget
1.1M$
Members/PIs involved
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