Safety and Efficacy of T Cell Genetic Immunotherapy for HIV

Summary

This study uses autologous (one's own) CD4 T cells modified with a viral vector expressing a genetic antisense targeting HIV, this vector is called VRX496. Study treatment is by intravenous infusion of vector modified cells and infusions will be provided every other week for a total of 4 or 8 doses. These modified cells, once infused, may provide immune support and are not destroyed by HIV, and thus may delay or reverse HIV disease progression. The study will enroll up to 40 male and female HIV-positive subjects in up to 8 centers. Subjects will be 18 years of age and over who have failed or are intolerant to at least one triple combination of antiretroviral drugs. Subjects must have a viral load between 5,000 and 200,000 copies/ml and a CD4+ count of ≥150, be in good health and have no evidence of active opportunistic infection, heart disease, or bleeding disorders. Subjects must not be on corticosteroids, immunomodulating agents or hydroxyurea. Subjects must not have received an AIDS vaccine or any investigational gene therapy product at any time. Females must not be pregnant or breastfeeding.

Timeline

Start

2005-07

Primary completion

2008-11

Completion

2023-06

Publications

• Background Manilla P, Rebello T, Afable C, Lu X, Slepushkin V, Humeau LM, Schonely K, Ni Y, Binder GK, Levine BL, MacGregor RR, June CH, Dropulic B. Regulatory considerations for novel gene therapy products: a review of the process leading to the first clinical lentiviral vector. Hum Gene Ther. 2005 Jan;16(1):17-25. doi: 10.1089/hum.2005.16.17.
• Background Ni Y, Sun S, Oparaocha I, Humeau L, Davis B, Cohen R, Binder G, Chang YN, Slepushkin V, Dropulic B. Generation of a packaging cell line for prolonged large-scale production of high-titer HIV-1-based lentiviral vector. J Gene Med. 2005 Jun;7(6):818-34. doi: 10.1002/jgm.726.
• Background Lu X, Humeau L, Slepushkin V, Binder G, Yu Q, Slepushkina T, Chen Z, Merling R, Davis B, Chang YN, Dropulic B. Safe two-plasmid production for the first clinical lentivirus vector that achieves >99% transduction in primary cells using a one-step protocol. J Gene Med. 2004 Sep;6(9):963-73. doi: 10.1002/jgm.593.
• Background Lu X, Yu Q, Binder GK, Chen Z, Slepushkina T, Rossi J, Dropulic B. Antisense-mediated inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication by use of an HIV type 1-based vector results in severely attenuated mutants incapable of developing resistance. J Virol. 2004 Jul;78(13):7079-88. doi: 10.1128/JVI.78.13.7079-7088.2004.
• Background Humeau LM, Binder GK, Lu X, Slepushkin V, Merling R, Echeagaray P, Pereira M, Slepushkina T, Barnett S, Dropulic LK, Carroll R, Levine BL, June CH, Dropulic B. Efficient lentiviral vector-mediated control of HIV-1 replication in CD4 lymphocytes from diverse HIV+ infected patients grouped according to CD4 count and viral load. Mol Ther. 2004 Jun;9(6):902-13. doi: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2004.03.005.

Drugs

Indications