Journal Article

Transient CD4-cell-depletion therapy for HIV/AIDS cure

Wei, Min, Shao, Yi-Ming

2021

Overview

Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is still a threat to global public health, with around 38 million people living with HIV by the end of 2019 (http://www.unaids.org). [...]there is not a routine cure therapy available for HIV/AIDS. Another evidence is that CD4+ cells in the late stage of AIDS patients, whose CD4+ cell counts already reach zero or close to zero, can recover after cART treatment. [...]the strategy of TCDT is applicable. [...]although CD4+ cells have reached zero in the late stage of AIDS patients, the patients will die rather than cure, due to a large number of free viruses and immunodeficiency in the absence of cART treatment. [...]to remove free viruses, cART is a very important prerequisite for TCDT. [...]what will we do if CD4+ cannot reach zero, and there are some residual CD4+ cells after anti-CD4 antibody treatment? Overcome of this problem depends on cART. Because Nef production requires viral replication, cART can inhibit Nef production. [...]in the early stage of TCDT therapy, cART must be applied to inhibit HIV replication and deplete free viruses as much as possible. [...]in the HIV-infected cells, around 93% of the pre-viruses are replication-defective, and only the remaining 7% can replicate.

• Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins,Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Ovid Technologies,Wolters Kluwer
• Subject: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome / Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - drug therapy / AIDS / CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / FDA approval / HIV / HIV Infections - drug therapy / Human immunodeficiency virus / Humans / Viewpoint / Viruses