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Course

HIV Post-Treatment Control: Insights On Remission from a Unique European Cohort

Details

Published Date: 01/15/2024

Expiration Date: 12/12/2026

CE Credit: CME:1

Description

Antiretroviral treatment cannot eliminate HIV reservoir cells that cause viral rebound if treatment is interrupted, requiring lifelong treatment. However, some people who were diagnosed and initiated ART in the earliest stages of primary HIV infection have demonstrated the ability to stably control viremia after treatment interruption, achieving a status of durable HIV remission. Dr. Sáez-Cirión from the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France, has been studying a cohort of these rare post-treatment controllers for years in the VISCONTI Study, finding that early treatment may favor the maturation of the memory response against the virus, allowing a more efficient secondary response after treatment interruption. A better understanding of the mechanisms of post-treatment control may lead to the development of new immunotherapies to achieve HIV remission.

Presenter(s)

Asier Sáez-Cirión,PhD

Asier Sáez-Cirión received his PhD degree from the University of the Basque Country in Spain and did postdoctoral training at the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research in Bethesda. In 2003, he joined the Institut Pasteur where he is now Associate Professor and Head of the Viral Reservoirs and Immune Control Unit. Dr Sáez-Cirión is the Chair of the scientific and medical committee of Sidaction, a charity in France funding HIV research. He leads the VISCONTI study on Post-treatment HIV controllers and he is the coordinator of the ANRS RHIVIERA task force on HIV remission. His work is focused on understanding natural mechanisms associated with control of HIV/SIV infection and developing new therapeutic interventions to achieve HIV control in the absence of antiretroviral therapy.

Learning Objectives

  • Be aware of markers that may help predict who among people on ART may have better chances to control viremia if ART is discontinued for any reason.
  • Understand the viral and host factors that have been associated with post-treatment control, as well as the immune mechanisms mobilized during acute infection vs treatment interruption.
  • Know the difference between HIV remission and HIV cure.
  • Understand how post-treatment controllers are different (or are not) from other cases of durable remission or potential HIV cure.

Continuing Education Credit Information