HIV: “controller” patient research holds promise for cell therapy

Rare patients infected by HIV spontaneously control viral replication without antiretroviral therapy, and do not go on to develop AIDS. The ability of these patients, known as "HIV controllers", to limit HIV replication appears to result from a highly effective immune response. Scientists from the Institut Pasteur and Inserm, together with colleagues from Monash University, Melbourne, found that the CD4+ T cells of HIV controllers are capable of recognizing minute amounts of virus. This highly sensitive response is dependent on the expression of specific T cell receptors (TCRs) at the surface of these CD4+ T cells. Scientists determined the crystal structure of TCRs shared by HIV controllers, to understand how they could efficiently recognize a viral antigen and kill HIV-infected cells in persons of different genetic backgrounds. These findings, published in Science Immunology, bring new arguments in the development of cell therapy against HIV.

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