HIV-Specific T Cells Can Be Generated against Non-escaped T Cell Epitopes with a GMP-Compliant Manufacturing Platform.

ABSTRACT: Although anti-retroviral therapy (ART) is successful in suppressing HIV-1 replication, HIV latently infected reservoirs are not eliminated, representing a major hurdle in efforts to eradicate the virus. Current strategies to eradicate HIV involve two steps: (1) the reactivation of latently infected cells with latency reversing agents (LRAs) to expose persisting HIV, and (2) the elimination of these cells with immune effectors while continuing ART to prevent reinfection. HIV-specific T cells (HSTs) can kill reactivated HIV-infected cells and are currently being evaluated in early-stage immunotherapy trials. HIV can mutate sequences in T cell epitopes and evade T cell-mediated killing of HIV-infected cells. However, by directing T cells to target multiple conserved, non-escaped HIV epitopes,

SUBMITTER: Patel S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6838524 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature