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Researchers at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) have shown that immunotherapy treatments against cancer could reduce the amount of virus that persists in people on triple therapy. In a study published in the journal Nature Communications, they show, in the cells of people living with HIV, how these therapies reveal the virus—until now hidden in the hollows of infected cells—to the immune system.
We identified the mechanism by which anti-cancer immunotherapy ‘awakens’ the virus from its hiding places and reduces the size of HIV reservoirs in people on triple therapy. Although most of our experiments have been performed in vitro, our approach could lead to the development of new therapies,” stated Nicolas Chomont, a CRCHUM researcher and Université de Montréal professor.
HIV reservoirs are cells and tissue in which the virus persists despite triple therapy. This treatment prevents the infection from developing into acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). To survive and replicate, HIV needs to be hosted in a cell. As a rule, it infects CD4+ T lymphocytes, white blood cells responsible for activating the body’s defences against infections.
“Our results prove that immunotherapies targeting molecules such as PD-1 could reduce the amount of virus persisting in people on triple therapy. One of the next steps would be to combine immunotherapy with molecules that, up to now, have been ineffective in eradicating HIV reservoirs. This combination of immunotherapy and chemical molecules could ‘awaken’ the virus and help remove the cells infected by HIV,” added Chomont.