Reported by Jules Levin
22nd International AIDS Conference, 23‒27 July 2018, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Frank L Tomaka, MD
Clinical Leader, HIV Vaccine Programs
AIDS 2018
"Functional Cure" New Therapeutic Vaccine Approach in Non-Human Primates Shows Potential as Functional Cure for HIV-1 - Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, today announced results of a new study published in Nature which points to a potential new approach against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) infection. The findings suggest that combining therapeutic vaccination with immune stimulation could be a potential way to achieve a so-called "functional cure" for HIV infection, a strategy to suppress HIV infection long term without the need for life-long antiretroviral therapy (ART).
Ad26/MVA Therapeutic Vaccination with TLR7 Stimulation in SIV-Infected Rhesus Monkeys - Functional Cure Strategy[Nature 2016] - "These data demonstrate the potential of therapeutic vaccination with innate immune stimulation as a strategy aimed at an HIV-1 functional cure......In summary, our data suggest the potential of combining therapeutic vaccination with innate immune stimulation as an HIV-1 cure strategy. Our findings show that these interventions can improve virology control and delay viral rebound following ART discontinuation in SIV-infected rhesus monkeys that initiated ART during acute infection. Additional preclinical and clinical studies with Ad26/MVA vaccination and TLR7 stimulation should be performed to explore this strategy in greater detail."
