Third International Congress Drug Therapy in HIV Infection 3-7 November 1996 Glasgow, UK

HAS IMMUNOTHERAPY COME OF AGE

H. C. Lane
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

Int Cong Drug Therapy HIV 1996 Nov 3-7;3:Abstract No. 1.1
AIDS 1996, Vol. 10 (Suppl. 2);S1

The development of effective immunologic therapies for patients with HIV infection relies upon an understanding of the nature of the immunologic defect in patients and/or knowledge of the immunologic effector mechanisms that may be of value in controlling the spread of virus. The relationship between viral replication and CD4 T cell destruction is well established. The ability of the immune system to regenerate T cells througout the course of HIV infection is one element that is susceptible to successful immunologic modulation and a degree of success has been achieved in this area through the use of intermittent courses of interleukin-2, either by intravenous or subcutaneous administration. This strategy, coupled with effective anti-viral therapy results in marked polyclonal increases in "functional" CD4 T lymphocytes, both in the peripheral blood and lymphoid tissue. Demonstration of definitive clinical benefit will require a phase III trial. Defining the nature of the protective immune response has been a more elusive target than defining the nature of the immunological defect. While both antibodies and cytotoxic T cells specific for HIV have been utilized as therapeutic tools, neither has demonstrated evidence of altering either the laboratory of the clinical infection in a substantive way. It is hoped that with the current ability to utilize more potent antiretroviral agents even greater advances will be possible in the area of immune based therapies.

Presenting author: H. C. Lane

1996-11-03
1.1

Originally published in AIDS Volume 10, Supplement 2 and hosted with permission of the publisher Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 250 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8RD, UK. Tel: +44 (0)20 7981 0700 Fax: +44 (0) 7981 0701

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