A Novel CAR T cell for Treating, Inhibiting and Ameliorating HIV Infection

A novel, broadly neutralizing, antibody-based anti-HIV therapeutic chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell that is resistant to HIV infection.

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Technology overview

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection leads to progressive failure of the immune system, leading to the subject succumbing to diseases and infections. The current standard treatment for HIV involves life-long multidrug antiretroviral therapy (ART), which can suppress HIV replication, but is not curative. Residual HIV-infected cells persist and can rebound after cessation of ART. Even while on effective ART, HIV is associated with significant chronic morbidity. Dr. Thor Wagner and colleagues have developed a novel HIV therapeutic that can specifically target and eliminate HIV-infected cells. They have designed anti-HIV chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) that contain the antigen-binding domains of broadly neutralizing anti-HIV antibodies. These CARs specifically target HIV-infected cells. By disrupting the primary HIV coreceptor CCR5 in the anti-HIV CAR T cells, Wagner and others created cells that are protected from HIV infection. Anti-HIV CAR T cells with CCR5 disruption were able to reduce HIV much more than anti-HIV CAR T cells alone in viral culture experiments. This represents a novel strategy for developing adoptive T-cell-based, anti-HIV therapeutics.

Applications

• Cell therapy for HIV treatment

Advantages

• Adoptive, T-cell-based, anti-HIV therapeutic
• HIV-infection-resistant therapeutic T cells

Market overview

HIV/AIDS constitutes a major global health problem with approximately 36.9 million people living with AIDS in 2017. One out of every 250 American adults is infected with HIV. Although the global HIV therapeutics market is growing at a CAGR of 1.4%, these are dominated by antiretroviral drugs. There is a need to develop curative adoptive T-cell-based therapies that can target and eliminate HIV-infected cells.

Availability

Exclusive license

Technology type

Therapeutic
Cell therapy

Technology status

Preclinical in vivo

Patent status

WO 2015/167766 A1

Developers

Thor Wagner, MD
David Rawlings, MD
Andrew Scharenberg, MD
Blythe Sather, PhD
Jaya Sahni, PhD

Learn more

To learn more about this technology, please email Kamya Rajaram.