Host & Viral factors associated with HIV-1 control v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Comprehensive assessment of host and viral factors associated with HIV-1 elite control
IRAS ID
130630
Contact name
Ravindra Gupta
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Research summary
HIV infection remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally. This has driven research for a ’cure’ for HIV through the eradication of virus in a component of blood called plasma and virus in various tissue compartments.
Elite controllers are HIV infected individulas who have achieved ’functional cure’ and are able to maintain a viral load of below 50 copies/mL of plasma for more than a year. These individuals are rare and may be important in forming therapeutic vaccine design as part of a cure strategy.
Over half of HIV infected patients have the protective Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) Class B alleles, this is a part of DNA that codes for a type of immune molecule with the specific function of helping to identify foreign invaders, and only a portion of these patients are able to control the virus by keeping the number of virus copies (viral load) to below 50 per mL of plasma.
Identification of the determinants that give rise to elite control could be pivotal in designing therapeutic vaccines to achieving a functional ’cure’ for all patients.
The genetic signatures of the elite controllers will need to be identified and extensive phenotyping of the immune cells will need to be performed.
REC name
London - City & East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/LO/1572
Date of REC Opinion
7 Jan 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion