Scientists have developed enhanced NK cell therapy that could help people with HIV control the virus without lifelong antiretroviral treatment.
More than 30 million people worldwide living with HIV require daily antiretroviral therapy (ART) to keep the virus under controlled, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). While these drugs are highly effective at suppressing HIV, they do not eliminate the virus, which can remain hidden in ‘reservoirs’ throughout the body and reactivate if treatment is interrupted.
Now, researchers in the United States have made a promising breakthrough that could change the future of HIV treatment. Scientists at Case Western Reserve University, in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh, have demonstrated that natural killer (NK) cells – specialised immune cells that naturally target virus-infected and tumour cells – can be enhanced to better fight HIV infections.
NK cell immunotherapy: a new approach
“NK cell immunotherapy is already being used for cancer therapy, and the data from those studies provide a great foundation for translation of this approach to an HIV cure strategy,” said Mary Ann Checkley-Luttge, Senior Research Associate at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine who led the study. “We are hoping that NK cell immunotherapy can help reduce the reservoir enough to allow long-term immunological control of HIV without ART.”
The researchers discovered that NK cells extracted from HIV-positive patients can be expanded and enhanced in the laboratory to more effectively target and reduce the virus stored in these reservoirs. This represents a significant step towards long-term HIV remission by harnessing the body’s own immune system. If successful, the approach could allow people living with HIV to control the virus without a lifelong dependence on daily antiretroviral medications.
A strong foundation for high-impact research
Case Western Reserve University has a long history of interdisciplinary HIV research, providing a strong foundation for breakthroughs like this. Its School of Medicine houses a National Institutes of Health-designated Center for AIDS Research, founded more than 30 years ago, and the Center for Excellence on the Impact of Substance Use on HIV, giving researchers access to advanced technologies essential for cutting-edge studies.
“Our team’s next goals are to test whether lab-enhanced NK cells can work as ‘off-the-shelf’ therapy,” said Jonathon Karn, Distinguished University Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology. “We plan to conduct studies using advanced animal models that closely mimic HIV infection in humans and then work toward clinical trials in the next two years to test this approach in people living with HIV.”
Collaboration with patients and institutions
The research was made possible by blood donations from people living with HIV and reflects a collaborative effort between patients, researchers and institutions committed to improving HIV treatments. By combining patient participation with innovative science, the team hopes this research will lead to new therapies that could change the lives of millions living with HIV.
