Ongoing trials of immune-based therapies for HIV infection in adults.
Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) can significantly alter the clinical course of patients infected with HIV. Unfortunately, effective lifelong HAART may not be a practical or achievable goal because of toxicities, cost, development of viral resistance and patient compliance issues. Immune-based therapies (IBTs) that target the host immune system may serve as rational additions to our current antiretroviral strategies. Investigations into IL-2 have culminated in two large Phase III clinical trials. Multiple therapeutic vaccine candidates are in various phases of investigation. In addition, gene therapy has been proposed as a potential treatment for HIV and Phase I trials are ongoing. Although IBTs are being investigated on many fronts, they remain difficult to study due to a lack of validated surrogate end points.
Ross
R W
RW
Clinical Center & National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health Critical Care Medicine Dept., Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Wright
M E
ME
Tavel
J A
JA
D016915:AIDS Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000627:therapeutic use
D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D016207:Cytokines; D004279:DNA, Viral; D019444:Vaccines, DNA