A new biography, “The King: The Life of Charles III” by Christopher Andersen, reveals that Donald Trump “aggressively pursued” Princess Diana after her 1996 divorce from Prince Charles. The book claims Diana rebuffed Trump’s advances, but he later boasted on a radio program that he could have “nailed her if I wanted to,” provided she passed an HIV test. These comments were made during interviews with Howard Stern in 1997 and 2000. Trump allegedly sent Diana massive bouquets of flowers, which she found creepy and intrusive. Despite Trump’s claims of only meeting Diana once and denying persistent advances, the biography and testimonies from Diana’s friends suggest otherwise. This article prompted the latest on HIV research thus far.
Date: June 20, 2024
Company: Gilead Sciences, Inc.
Event: Announcement of interim results from Phase 3 PURPOSE 1 trial.
Key Findings:
- Lenacapavir Efficacy: The twice-yearly injectable HIV-1 capsid inhibitor, lenacapavir, demonstrated 100% efficacy in preventing HIV infections in cisgender women.
- Comparison to Truvada: Lenacapavir showed superiority over once-daily oral Truvada® (emtricitabine 200mg and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300mg; F/TDF), with zero infections reported among participants in the lenacapavir group.
- Study Design: PURPOSE 1 involved more than 5,300 cisgender women and adolescent girls aged 16-25 across South Africa and Uganda. Participants were randomized to receive lenacapavir, Descovy, or Truvada.
- Safety: Lenacapavir was well-tolerated with no significant safety concerns identified.
Trial Outcomes:
- Lenacapavir Group: 0 incident cases of HIV infection among 2,134 women.
- Truvada Group: 16 incident cases among 1,068 women.
- Descovy Group: 39 incident cases among 2,136 women, not statistically superior to the background HIV incidence.
Data Monitoring Committee Recommendation:
- The independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) recommended stopping the blinded phase of the trial and offering open-label lenacapavir to all participants due to the efficacy results.
Future Steps:
- Detailed results from PURPOSE 1 will be presented at a future conference.
- Results from PURPOSE 2, evaluating lenacapavir among other groups, are expected in late 2024/early 2025.
Regulatory and Access Plans:
- Gilead plans to seek regulatory approval for lenacapavir for multiple populations, including cisgender men who have sex with men, transgender individuals, and gender non-binary people.
- Gilead is committed to ensuring access to lenacapavir in high-incidence, resource-limited countries.
Corporate Commitment:
- Gilead emphasizes its ongoing efforts in scientific innovation, community engagement, and health equity to end the HIV epidemic globally.
Contacts:
- Investors: Jacquie Ross (investor_relations@gilead.com)
- Media: Ashleigh Koss (public_affairs@gilead.com)
For more information, visit Gilead’s website at www.gilead.com.
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Summary: Advances in HIV Cure Research: Promising TACK Drugs
At the recent CROI 2024 conference, significant progress was reported on potential HIV treatments and cures, specifically focusing on TACK (targeted activation of cell kill) drugs. These drugs, part of the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) family, induce self-destruction of HIV-infected cells, potentially eradicating the virus. Unlike current antiretroviral therapies (ART), TACK drugs target long-lived HIV reservoir cells, crucial for achieving a cure.
Background A cure for HIV requires eliminating all viable virus or containing it so it never activates without ART. This is challenging due to HIV’s ability to hide in reservoir cells. Stem-cell transplants have cured some individuals, but this method is too risky and costly to scale. Other cure strategies, such as genetic engineering and immune response enhancement, are still under investigation.
What TACK Drugs Do TACK drugs exploit a property known for over a decade: at high doses, certain NNRTI drugs (like efavirenz and rilpivirine) cause HIV-infected cells to self-destruct. This could make them powerful tools in HIV treatment and potentially a cure. Merck’s candidate TACK drug, Pyr01, shows promise by killing infected cells without harming uninfected ones.
Latest Data Dr. Tracy Diamond from Merck presented new findings on Pyr01. In mouse studies, Pyr01 rapidly and significantly reduced HIV viral loads. By the third day of treatment, mice on Pyr01 had a 10,000-fold reduction in viral load, with many becoming undetectable. This rapid action suggests TACK drugs are potent antivirals, not just inhibiting reverse transcriptase but also inducing direct cell death.
Other Cellular Self-Destruct Drugs Complementary drugs like BH3 mimetics and DPP9 inhibitors may enhance TACK’s effectiveness. For instance, combining efavirenz with the cancer drug talabostat significantly increased HIV-infected cell reduction in mice.
Conclusion TACK drugs show exceptional promise in HIV treatment, offering a potential pathway to a cure by targeting and eliminating HIV-infected reservoir cells. Further research and human trials are needed to confirm their safety and efficacy.
References:
- Diamond TL. From mechanisms to therapeutics: TACK molecules kill HIV-infected cells through inflammasome activation. CROI 2024.
- Shan L. Eliminating HIV-Infected Cells by the CARD8 Inflammasome. CROI 2024.
Article Two
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/03/240326124555.htm
An international research team, led by Eric Arts of Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and Jamie Mann of the University of Bristol, has developed a new HIV-virus-like-particle (HLP) therapeutic, showing promising results in targeting and eliminating latent HIV reservoirs. Published in Emerging Microbes and Infections, their study demonstrates HLP’s effectiveness, being 100 times more potent than other HIV cure candidates for individuals on combined antiretroviral therapy (cART).
Key Points:
- HLP Mechanism: HLPs are dead HIV particles containing HIV proteins that boost immune responses without causing infection. These particles can be administered via intramuscular injection, similar to a flu vaccine, making it an affordable and accessible treatment option.
- Study Results: Using blood samples from 32 participants with chronic HIV on stable cART for a median of 13 years, HLP successfully targeted and purged immune cells containing latent HIV. This indicates a critical step toward achieving an HIV cure, defined as the elimination of the virus without continuous ART.
- Global Applicability: The HLP therapy has shown potential effectiveness across different HIV subtypes, suggesting its global applicability. Future studies will test its efficacy in diverse populations, including those with subtype C infections prevalent in South Africa, Ethiopia, Vietnam, and India.
- Next Steps: Researchers plan to conduct larger trials and confirm the lack of toxicity in preparation for human clinical trials.
- Support and Funding: This research is supported by various institutions, including the American Foundation for AIDS Research, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and U.S. National Institutes of Health.
The development of HLP offers hope for an affordable and effective HIV cure, contributing to the global goal of ending the HIV pandemic by 2030.
Additional Source: https://news.westernu.ca/2024/03/researchers-a-step-closer-to-hiv-cure/
Article Three
A National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study presented at the 2024 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Denver reveals promising outcomes in early HIV treatment in infants. The study, led by Patrick Jean-Philippe, M.D., found that four children remained free of detectable HIV for over a year after pausing antiretroviral therapy (ART).
Key Points:
- Study Details: The study involved children born with HIV who started ART within 48 hours of birth. ART was paused once children met specific virological and immunological criteria, including durable HIV suppression and normal CD4+ T-cell counts.
- Results: Of six children who paused ART, four achieved HIV remission. One child experienced remission for 80 weeks before HIV returned. The remaining three have been in remission for 48, 52, and 64 weeks. Two children did not achieve remission, with detectable HIV within three and eight weeks of ART interruption.
- Significance: These findings suggest that very early ART initiation limits HIV reservoir development and enhances the potential for HIV remission. This builds on the 2013 “Mississippi baby” case, where an infant treated early remained in remission for 27 months after stopping ART.
- Future Research: Ongoing and future studies aim to understand the mechanisms behind neonatal immunity’s role in limiting HIV reservoirs and to identify biomarkers predicting HIV remission. Researchers are also exploring the impact of newer antiretroviral drugs.
- Global Collaboration: The study was conducted across multiple countries, including Brazil, Haiti, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, the United States, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It was led by a team of researchers from institutions such as Northwestern University, UCLA, Baylor College of Medicine, and the University of Zimbabwe.
The study, known as IMPAACT P1115, underscores the potential for early HIV treatment to achieve long-term remission, offering hope for a shift from lifelong ART to more manageable treatment strategies.
For more details, the study can be accessed on ClinicalTrials.gov using the identifier NCT02140255.
CONCLUSION
In light of recent revelations about Donald Trump’s inappropriate comments and behavior towards Princess Diana, it’s important to remember the significant progress being made in HIV research. Notably, a new study has shown promising results in achieving HIV remission in children treated early after birth. These advances highlight the critical role of early intervention and the ongoing efforts to find a cure for HIV. For more details on this groundbreaking research, check out our latest post on the strides being made towards ending the HIV epidemic by 2030. #HIVResearch #MedicalAdvances #EndHIV
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