Virus and host immune system interaction during HIV-1 infection

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Temporal analysis of host immune responses and mechanisms impairing control of viral replication during the course of HIV-1 infection

  • IRAS ID

    202844

  • Contact name

    Dimitra Peppa

  • Contact email

    d.peppa@ucl.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    University College London

  • Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier

    Z6364106/2016/02/76, UCL Data Protection Registration

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    5 years, 0 months, 1 days

  • Research summary

    Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection remains a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. There is an ongoing need to better characterise and harness the immune response in order to develop effective prophylactic strategies and supplement current therapeutic approaches for a ‘functional’ HIV cure.
    Virus-host interactions during primary HIV-1 infection (PHI) are crucial determinants of the entire subsequent disease course. Primary infection thus presents an ideal opportunity to study the evolution of the immune response and understand why the immune system fails to contain early virus replication more competently. In chronic infection immune responses become progressively more dysregulated/’exhausted’ and less adaptable. The precise mechanisms of this immune dysfunction/disarray, affecting virtually every arm of the immune response, remain incompletely understood.
    Accumulating evidence indicates that in addition to the pivotal role of adaptive immunity, in particular T cells, in the control of HIV, innate cells, such as Natural Killer (NK) cells, make a significant contribution to containment of viral replication and shaping of adaptive immunity (and may influence disease progression). A better understanding of the complex virus-host interactions will allow us to identify the ideal targets for immune-based therapies and generation of protective vaccine-induced immune responses.
    We aim to further dissect the detailed molecular pathways underpinning the failure of antiviral immunity in HIV-1 infection and identify the immunological and genetic determinants that give rise to enhanced and sustained virological control. This work has important implications for our efforts/ultimate goal to induce immunity through the design of prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines.

  • REC name

    South Central - Berkshire Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    16/SC/0265

  • Date of REC Opinion

    25 May 2016

  • REC opinion

    Favourable Opinion