Controlled Clinical Trial of Antiviral Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte (CTL) Infusion Following Combination Antiretroviral Drug Therapy for Asymptomatic HIV-1 Infection

Overview

To evaluate the safety of anti-HIV CTL therapy in early stage patients and to verify the safety when combined with antiviral therapy with zidovudine/lamivudine/indinavir and low-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2). To compare the effects on plasma and cell-associated viral load following combination drug therapy with and without antiviral CTL in early-stage patients. To study in detail the immune effects of lowering viral burden with antiviral combination drugs with and without T cell infusion on antiviral CTL activity, viral suppression and proliferation, circulating T cell phenotype, T cell apoptosis, CD4 cell numbers, DTH reaction, and inflammatory cytokine levels. In an HIV-infected person, there is an ongoing struggle between HIV replication and host immune control. In the past decade most therapeutic strategies have targeted the virus. This approach has been frustrated by viral mutation to evade drug sensitivity. Promising drugs have recently been approved and there are encouraging sustained results from combination antiviral chemotherapy. However, even the most potent drug regimens do not seem to be curative, may eventually lead to drug resistance and may not completely restore lost immune function. The addition of immune-based therapy to antiviral drugs may lead to better viral control.

In an HIV-infected person, there is an ongoing struggle between HIV replication and host immune control. In the past decade most therapeutic strategies have targeted the virus. This approach has been frustrated by viral mutation to evade drug sensitivity. Promising drugs have recently been approved and there are encouraging sustained results from combination antiviral chemotherapy. However, even the most potent drug regimens do not seem to be curative, may eventually lead to drug resistance and may not completely restore lost immune function. The addition of immune-based therapy to antiviral drugs may lead to better viral control. This study has 2 regimens of 8 patients each. Patients are randomized as to CTL infusion only. Patients are stratified by viral load (less than 10,000 copies/ml vs. greater than or equal to 10,000 copies/ml). All patients receive combination drug therapy with AZT/3TC/indinavir for 9 months at which time patients have the option of continuing their study regimen another year or changing therapy. Patients in the T cell treatment regimen (regimen 2) receive 2 infusions of ex vivo expanded autologous anti-HIV CTL at 3 and 6 months after beginning AZT/3TC/indinavir therapy. The second infusion is administered with low-dose sc IL-2 1 day before and 4 days following T cell infusion.