Do Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Have a Role in HIV Cure Trials?

Immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as anti-PD-1 antibodies, have transformed the treatment of many malignancies. In people with HIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART), CD4 cells that express PD-1 harbor latent HIV, which is one of the barriers to curing the infection. Now, investigators have assessed the effect of modulating PD-1 on HIV latency.

In an in vitro model, HIV latency was enriched in PD-1-positive CD4 cells. When the researchers added an anti-PD-1 antibody, latent infection decreased modestly. To assess whether blocking PD-1 affects HIV latency in vivo, the investigators evaluated a person with HIV who received nivolumab, an anti-PD-1 antibody, for treatment of metastatic melanoma. The individual was on ART and had an undetectable pl…