Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Immune Reconstitution in HIV-infected Patients

Summary

HIV-1 infection is characterized by progressive depletion of CD4+ T cells that eventually leads to clinically significant immunodeficiency. A chronic generalized immune activation is now being recognized to be the main driving force for T cell depletion, loss of anti-HIV-1 immunity and disease progression during chronic HIV-1 infection. However, it is still unknown whether reducing immune activation will restore CD4 T cell counts and leading to immune reconstitution in chronic HIV infection. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have been demonstrated to decrease immune responses of the host, and can suppress inflammation in HIV-infected non-responders. Here, the investigators propose a hypothesis that MSC can reduce immune activation which subsequently lead to the restoration of CD4 T-cell counts dependent on dose of transfused MSCs in HIV-infected patients.

Timeline

Start

2013-01

Primary completion

2015-12

Completion

2016-06

Publications

• Background Appay V, Sauce D. Immune activation and inflammation in HIV-1 infection: causes and consequences. J Pathol. 2008 Jan;214(2):231-41. doi: 10.1002/path.2276.
• Background Uccelli A, Moretta L, Pistoia V. Mesenchymal stem cells in health and disease. Nat Rev Immunol. 2008 Sep;8(9):726-36. doi: 10.1038/nri2395.
• Zhang Z, Fu J, Xu X, Wang S, Xu R, Zhao M, Nie W, Wang X, Zhang J, Li T, Su L, Wang FS. Safety and immunological responses to human mesenchymal stem cell therapy in difficult-to-treat HIV-1-infected patients. AIDS. 2013 May 15;27(8):1283-93. doi: 10.1097/QAD.0b013e32835fab77.

Drugs

Indications