October 20, 2010

New HIV Eradication Study in Progress

Cytheris has announced the launch and recruitment of a new Phase II study of the company’s interleukin-7 (IL-7) drug—combined with the entry inhibitor Selzentry (maraviroc) and the integrase inhibitor Isentress (raltegravir)—with the goal of eradicating HIV.

Current antiretroviral (ARV) therapy is quite potent. When it works well, it completely shuts down HIV reproduction. Unfortunately, a small reservoir of infected cells remains in the body, and when people stop taking their HIV medication, the virus quickly resumes replication.

Traditional ARVs can’t target HIV genetic material (HIV DNA) inside this reservoir of infected cells. This is because the cells are inactive; most ARVs only work in cells that are actively reproducing. Researchers are now exploring drugs that either wake up these resting cells or help purge their HIV DNA and, ultimately, make the virus vulnerable to HIV drugs. These strategies are one of several being explored with the goal of eradicating HIV from the human body (see “From Mice to Men” in the October/November issue of POZ).

One hopeful new therapy is IL-7. This naturally occurring cellular messenger (cytokine) helps different types of T-cells develop, mature and reproduce. IL-7 can also cause resting CD4 cells to “wake up.” It is this latter quality that researchers are exploring in the study now under way.

The study (ERAMUNE 01)—which is being conducted by a nonprofit French institute called the Objectif Recherche VAccin Sida (ORVACS) and headed by Christine Katlama, MD, from the Hopital Pitie-Salpetriere in Paris—is enrolling people with HIV who are on a fully suppressive ARV regimen and who are judged to have a very small reservoir of infected cells based on a measurement of HIV DNA in the blood. The study will enroll 28 people living with HIV in Paris, Milian, Barcelona and London.

Katlama and her colleagues will add Isentress and Selzentry to everyone’s regimen, an approach known as treatment intensification, to help maximize control of HIV replication. Eight weeks after people add Isentress and Selzentry, the research team will give them two cycles of IL-7 injections. The primary aim is to simply decrease the size of the HIV reservoir. Secondary goals include establishing the safety of this approach and, potentially, eradicating HIV.

“The unique hypothesis tested in this study is that with [IL-7 inducing CD4 cell activation and Isentress and Selzentry containing infection of CD4s] eventually [this will contribute] to viral reservoir reduction and potential eradication,” said Thérèse Croughs, MD, the chief medical officer of Cytheris.

A similar 28-patient study, ERAMUNE 02, is being conducted in the United States—in Chicago, San Francisco and New York—and is exploring Isentress or Selzentry treatment intensification in combination with an HIV-recombinant Ad5-based vaccine to boost the immune system’s response to HIV DNA.

Search: Cytheris, interleukin-7, IL-7, Isentress, raltegravir, Selzentry, maraviroc, Mice or men, POZ, Tim Horn, Regan Hoffman, Christine Katlama, treatment intensification, eradication, latent, reservoir

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Previous Comments:

sanderson, goiania-go-Brazil, 2011-12-18 07:09:42
beyond GcMaf by dr nobuto yamamoto, there is another cure and may be available on 2012. It is a combination frin cancer drugs. Decitabina (dacogen) gemcitabina (gemzar) cytolin and another drug DRACO. so why the delay?

sanderson, goiania-go-Brazil, 2011-12-18 07:00:27
hi, I think interlukin 7 is also the key reverse this hiv+ status into hiv- status. There is already something that works so well. It is GcMaf factor by dr. Nobuto yamamoto, the best part is GcMaf is already being seld in Europe and the results are wonderful. there are people testing negative for hiv after this medication. I think while you guys still on test, they are already curing people. thank god.

mark, , 2011-04-02 14:54:44
God bless these gifted scientists and may their work become successful!

ethanwilson, nashville,tn., 2011-03-11 04:30:04
the more articles i read,the more i begin to hope.and i know there are others out there.my fear is that we will give up.there has been more hope and work this year than any other. maybe regan hoff and tim horn are the real heroes for reporting this and urging us to grow up and push for the cure.we want a cure so badly but we have to keep shouting,complaining,urging,wanting.and we need to stop the conspiracy theoryspeak and work on this. it can happen, i know it.

Jay C., DADE, 2011-03-08 05:32:09
Honestly in my opinion they need to stop playinq around and increase the fundinq so we can qet a cure.. part of that is also settinq up for more clinical research.. I like how we are attemptinq to find alternatives in controlinq the virus but I think its more important in qettinq a cure.. personally I feel as if we all should be a part in doinq so as well as the qovernment.

Phinda, Johnnesburg, 2011-03-01 13:47:54
I here the attempts to reawken the resting CD4, but what abiut the virus in other parts of the body like the bne marrow, brain, etc where HIV hides from drugs? will this study address that as well?

Marc, Lebanon, 2011-02-25 10:34:26
For the first time a team, from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute successfully cleared a HIV-like infection from mice by boosting their immune responses with a synthetic hormone called interleukin-7 (IL-7). Dr.Marc Pelligrini said if future trials are successful it’s likely a person would only need to take short cycles of IL-7 treatment to enhance their immune response to eradicate the virus. I hope this will come true in the near future.

dr.manal, egypt, 2011-02-22 13:32:16
I am really excited I hope success

Pierre, Sydney, 2010-12-17 20:17:14
I found this site, and it looks as if a similar study has already failed? www.prlog.org/11137952-doubts-on-il-7-for-hiv-eradication-trials.html

lilly, london, 2010-11-20 20:37:28
I am really excited about this research, I have been positive since 2004 and my time for starting meds will soon be approaching, i wish that by the time that comes, the meds i will take would be to be cured not to treat. keep up the good work!

thandeka, johannesburg, 2010-11-19 00:53:32
all fingers and toes crossed for this research. Gods hands are working on the cure. I can see the headlines soon, HIV FOUND

John R. Biron, Austin, Texas, 2010-11-07 23:37:18
What about the German patient that was already cured (Tests NEG 4 years now)with a marrow transplant containing the gene (5% est global pop with) that produces CD4 cells completely immune to HIV in the blood? Why are we not making more of this marrow like an anti-biotic and curing HIV naturally? CCR5 is the gene I believe, marrow transplants are expensive right now yes, BUT my drugs are $23K/Yr! The world already has a cure without making drug companies richer...WHY do we not explore this side?

Eddie, Houston, tx, 2010-11-02 20:17:17
If the study started at the beginning of last month, then we may have the first results on world Aids day or close. I've noticed they like to end studies around that time. Interesting.

Kevin, Independence, MO, 2010-10-28 15:38:24
Some of us will very likely survive long enough to see a cure. I've lost two good men to this (as well as many friends) and have been POZ for 23 yrs myself, so I'm rooting for this to work.

Ron W., broken arrow,ok., 2010-10-28 01:39:58
I wish this study was around back in 1997 my cousin might have benifited from it. I have been dealing with aids for 17 years and am about at my body's end. I got diabetes from crixivan and one of my other meds raised my cholesterol to 560 and had to have a quad. bypass at 38 and I would like to lose weight to help the diabetes but 5 meds i take make me gain and 1 makes me store fat. And I am just feeling a tiredness coming from my soul, if that makes sense. but I won't give up til the end.