EBioMedicine (Apr 2024)

Temporary increase in circulating replication-competent latent HIV-infected resting CD4+ T cells after switch to an integrase inhibitor based antiretroviral regimenResearch in context

  • Roux-Cil Ferreira,
  • Steven J. Reynolds,
  • Adam A. Capoferri,
  • Owen R. Baker,
  • Erin E. Brown,
  • Ethan Klock,
  • Jernelle Miller,
  • Jun Lai,
  • Sharada Saraf,
  • Charles Kirby,
  • Briana Lynch,
  • Jada Hackman,
  • Sarah N. Gowanlock,
  • Stephen Tomusange,
  • Samiri Jamiru,
  • Aggrey Anok,
  • Taddeo Kityamuweesi,
  • Paul Buule,
  • Daniel Bruno,
  • Craig Martens,
  • Rebecca Rose,
  • Susanna L. Lamers,
  • Ronald M. Galiwango,
  • Art F.Y. Poon,
  • Thomas C. Quinn,
  • Jessica L. Prodger,
  • Andrew D. Redd

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 102
p. 105040

Abstract

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Summary: Background: The principal barrier to an HIV cure is the presence of the latent viral reservoir (LVR), which has been understudied in African populations. From 2018 to 2019, Uganda instituted a nationwide rollout of ART consisting of Dolutegravir (DTG) with two NRTI, which replaced the previous regimen of one NNRTI and the same two NRTI. Methods: Changes in the inducible replication-competent LVR (RC-LVR) of ART-suppressed Ugandans with HIV (n = 88) from 2015 to 2020 were examined using the quantitative viral outgrowth assay. Outgrowth viruses were examined for viral evolution. Changes in the RC-LVR were analyzed using three versions of a Bayesian model that estimated the decay rate over time as a single, linear rate (model A), or allowing for a change at time of DTG initiation (model B&C). Findings: Model A estimated the slope of RC-LVR change as a non-significant positive increase, which was due to a temporary spike in the RC-LVR that occurred 0–12 months post-DTG initiation (p < 0.005). This was confirmed with models B and C; for instance, model B estimated a significant decay pre-DTG initiation with a half-life of 6.9 years, and an ∼1.7-fold increase in the size of the RC-LVR post-DTG initiation. There was no evidence of viral failure or consistent evolution in the cohort. Interpretation: These data suggest that the change from NNRTI- to DTG-based ART is associated with a significant temporary increase in the circulating RC-LVR. Funding: Supported by the NIH (grant 1-UM1AI164565); Gilead HIV Cure Grants Program (90072171); Canadian Institutes of Health Research (PJT-155990); and Ontario Genomics-Canadian Statistical Sciences Institute.

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