Pembrolizumab induces HIV latency reversal in people living with HIV and cancer on antiretroviral therapy.

ABSTRACT: In people living with HIV (PLWH) on antiretroviral therapy (ART), virus persists in a latent form where there is minimal transcription or protein expression. Latently infected cells are a major barrier to curing HIV. Increasing HIV transcription and viral production in latently infected cells could facilitate immune recognition and reduce the pool of infected cells that persist on ART. Given that programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) expressing CD4⁺ T cells are preferentially infected with HIV in PLWH on ART, we aimed to determine whether administration of antibodies targeting PD-1 would reverse HIV latency in vivo. We therefore evaluated the impact of intravenous administration of pembrolizumab every 3 weeks on HIV latency in 32 PLWH and cancer on ART. After the first infusion

SUBMITTER: Uldrick TS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9014398 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature