By: Dana Abdel Hafeez
A recent article published by ScienceDaily News explores a study from the University of Montreal Hospital Research Center which outlines the possibility of using anti-cancer immunotherapy to fight human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (1). It indicates how immunotherapy treatment used against cancer could be used to reduce the amount of virus that persists in people who are medicated with any of the three HIV management treatments (triple therapy) (1). The study depicts how cancer immunotherapy reveals hidden virus fragments in the hollows of infected cells to the immune system (1,2). This discovery identifies programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) as a primary mechanism by which the immune system can target and treat cancer (2,3,4). This could result in a new approach to reduce HIV reservoirs and fight autoimmune diseases (AIDS) (2,4). HIV reservoirs are tissues and cells that house the virus despite triple therapy since the drugs do not have a mechanism to locate them (2,5,6). When HIV persists in such tissues, the infection could develop into AIDS and this creates a need for life-long medication (1,5). It is still unclear as to whether or not PD-1 blockage plays a functional role in the latency of HIV (2,4). This question is essential to answer in order to prove that PD-1 blockage is linked to viral reservoirs and that cancer immunotherapy can effectively be used to treat HIV (2,6). Individuals with both cancer and HIV were used to examine the effects of PD-1 blockade, and it was concluded that the incidence of adverse immune functions was similar across HIV and non-HIV patients (2,4). This indicates that if PD-1 blockade enhances viral production then it could be a major factor in not just cancer treatment but also HIV-reservoir control (2,6). The implication of this novel research could create a solution for current HIV patients who must take antiretroviral drugs for the entirety of their lives (2,4,5).
References
1. Using anti-cancer immunotherapy to fight HIV: Researchers are exploring a potential therapeutic approach [Internet]. ScienceDaily. 2019 Available from: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190219111641.htm [Accessed 4 March 2019].
2. Fromentin R, DaFonseca S, Costiniuk C, El-Far M, Procopio F, Hecht F et al. PD-1 blockade potentiates HIV latency reversal ex vivo in CD4+ T cells from ART-suppressed individuals. Nature Communications. 2019;10(1). Available from: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-08798-7 [Accessed 4 March 2019].
3. Shen Y, Nemunaitis J. Fighting Cancer with Vaccinia Virus: Teaching New Tricks to an Old Dog. Molecular Therapy. 2005;11(2):180-195. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymthe.2004.10.015 [Accessed 6 March 2019].
4. Vance R, Eichberg M, Portnoy D, Raulet D. Listening to each other: Infectious disease and cancer immunology. Science Immunology. 2017;2(7):eaai9339. Available from: DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aai9339 [Accessed 6 March 2019].
5. Finzi D. Identification of a Reservoir for HIV-1 in Patients on Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy. Science. 1997;278(5341):1295-1300. Available from: http://science.sciencemag.org/content/278/5341/1295 [Accessed 6 March 2019].
6. Chun T, Stuyver L, Mizell S, Ehler L, Mican J, Baseler M et al. Presence of an inducible HIV-1 latent reservoir during highly active antiretroviral therapy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 1997;94(24):13193-13197. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.94.24.13193 [Accessed 6 March 2019].
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