The Role of the Gastrointestinal-associated Lymphoid Tissue in the Cure of HIV Infection

Launched by ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · Dec 7, 2022

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

After almost forty years from its first discovery, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection remains uncurable. The major obstacle to a cure for HIV infection is the integration of HIV into the host genome and its persistence in populations of long-lived immune cells subsets. These long-lived resting cells represent a reservoir of transcriptionally silent HIV and they are mostly localized in the secondary lymphoid tissue and the gastrointestinal associated lymphoid tissue (GALT).

The most promising HIV cure strategies relay on molecules which can induce enhanced immune responses through...

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Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Provision of signed and dated informed consent form
• • Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and lifestyle considerations and availability for the duration of the study
• • Males and females; Age 18-75
• • Chronic HIV-1 infection, documented by any licensed rapid HIV test or HIV enzyme or chemiluminescence immunoassay (E/CIA) test kit at any time prior to study entry and confirmed by a licensed Western blot or a second antibody test by a method other than the initial rapid HIV and/or E/CIA, or by HIV-1 antigen, plasma HIV-1 RNA viral load
• • Receiving treatment with a molecule with the potential for HIV cure
• • Willingness and ability to undergo colonoscopy twice during the study timeframe
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Known coagulopathy or altered coagulation studies
• • Concomitant pregnancy of plans for pregnancy during the study period
• • Concomitant Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Diarrheal disease or other gastrointestinal disease that might alter the intestinal mucosal tissue
• • Concomitant sexually transmitted infection
• • Any other condition which in the opinion of investigators would impede competence, compliance or possibly hinder completion of the study

Trial Officials