LAUSANNE-UNIVERSITY-HOSP
A study, published yesterday in Nature Medicine , has shown that T follicular helper (Tfh) cells serve as the dominant cell reservoir for HIV infection. The study was led by Professors Matthieu Perreau and Giuseppe Pantaleo from the Service of Immunology and Allergy, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland.
The researchers have investigated the HIV reservoir in aviremic individuals treated for several years (up to 14 years) with antiretroviral (ART) therapy. The study demonstrates that a population of CD4 T cells residing within the germinal centers of lymph nodes, known as Tfh cells, serves as the dominant cell reservoir for HIV infection. The Tfh cells which represent less than 1% of total CD4 T cells in long-term ART treated individuals, contained replication competent and infectious virus. Germinal centers are difficult to access to cytotoxic CD8 T cells and thus represent a privileged anatomic site, e.g. a sanctuary, for the persistence of HIV in Tfh cells in long-term ART treated individuals.
Despite the major advances in ART therapy and the effective suppression of HIV replication, ART is not capable of eliminating HIV. HIV invariably rebounds after ART interruption and therefore life-time ART therapy is currently required for controlling virus replication. The present study appeared in Nature Medicine shed light on a fundamental issue, i.e. the identification of the cells that may be responsible for the rapid rebound of virus replication following ART interruption.
“The identification of Tfh cells as the major cell compartment containing replication competent and infectious HIV represents a major advance in our understanding of the mechanisms of HIV persistence following many years of ART-mediated virus suppression”, says Prof. Matthieu Perreau.
“We are very excited of the identification of Tfh cells as the major cell reservoir for HIV in long-term treated individuals. These observations will promote the development of therapeutic immune-based interventions that can directly target the HIV cell reservoir and have substantial impact in accelerating research in the fields of HIV functional cure and eradication”, says Prof. Pantaleo.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160531005501/en/
Contact:
Lausanne University Hospital
Prof. Giuseppe Pantaleo
Giuseppe.Pantaleo@chuv.ch
or
Matthieu
Perreau
Matthieu.Perreau@chuv.ch
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Hemato-Oncology Trials: AOP Health Presents New Results at Top Congress ASH7.12.2025 17:00:00 CET | Press release
AOP Health continues to advance its clinical research program in myeloproliferative neoplasms, a special group of rare blood cancers. The company, specialized in rare diseases, presented the results of two scientific investigations at the 67th American Society of Hematology Association (ASH) Annual Meeting 2025 held in Orlando, FL, USA. The results provide new insights in treatment strategies. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251207587915/en/ Dr. Martin Steinhart, CEO AOP Health; Photo credit: AOP Health/Studio Koekart ROP-ET and BESREMI PASS One of the clinical studies, ROP-ET, examined the use of ropeginterferon alfa-2b in people with essential thrombocythemia (ET), a disease in which the body produces too many platelets. The trial, a prospective, multicenter, single-arm phase III study, investigated the safety and efficacy of ropeginterferon alfa-2b in ET patients unable to receive available cytoreductive th
CoMotion GLOBAL 2025 Launches in Riyadh: Global Mobility Leaders Unite in Saudi Capital to Chart Urban Future7.12.2025 13:00:00 CET | Press release
Summit debuts Mayors in Motion initiative and CoMotion Urban Visionary Distinction as Riyadh showcases its rise as global mobility testbed Riyadh is rapidly becoming one of the world's most ambitious urban mobility laboratories, where next-generation technologies move from blueprint to real-world deployment on city streets at unprecedented scale. CoMotion GLOBAL 2025, the world's most influential gathering of urban mobility leaders, opens today in Riyadh for a three-day summit bringing together innovators from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East. Running December 7-9, the event will explore how electrification, autonomy, AI-enabled transport, and giga-project urbanism are reshaping cities worldwide. The summit will spotlight everything from high-performance EVs and breakthrough autonomous fleets to emerging-market transport solutions and new mobility models, demonstrating how the Kingdom is opening new pathways for global mobility leadership. Strategic Partnerships
Deciphera Announces Oral Presentation of Positive Topline Results from Phase 2a Study of Sapablursen in Polycythemia Vera at the 67th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting6.12.2025 15:30:00 CET | Press release
Results from Phase 2a IMPRSSION study demonstrate sapablursen significantly reduced phlebotomy rate, controlled hematocrit and increased serum hepcidin Sapablursen was generally safe and well tolerated Results support further development of sapablursen in a Phase 3 study Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, a member of Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka, Japan; President and COO: Toichi Takino; “Ono”), today announced the oral presentation of positive results from the Phase 2a IMPRSSION study of sapablursen in patients with polycythemia vera (PV) at the 67th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, taking place December 6-9, 2025, in Orlando, FL. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251206361611/en/ The results were presented by Ionis Pharmaceuticals, who discovered and developed sapablursen and conducted the IMPRSSION study. In March 2025, Ionis and Ono entered into a license agreement in which On
Protagonist and Takeda Present Longer-Term Data at ASH 2025 Showing Rusfertide Delivers Durable Response and Hematocrit Control in Polycythemia Vera6.12.2025 15:30:00 CET | Press release
52-Week Results from the Phase 3 VERIFY Study of Rusfertide Demonstrated Sustained Hematocrit Control and Response, Defined by Absence of Phlebotomy Eligibility, with No New Safety SignalsThese Data Build on Positive 32-Week Primary Analysis from VERIFY, Which Met its Primary Efficacy Endpoint and All Four Key Secondary EndpointsPatients Crossing Over from Placebo to Rusfertide at 32 Weeks Achieved a Similar Response Rate to Those Initially Randomized to Rusfertide, with 77.9% Achieving Absence of Phlebotomy Eligibility Between Weeks 40-52Four-Year Results from the Combined REVIVE and Long-Term Extension THRIVE Study Demonstrated a 13-Fold Reduction in Annual Rate of Phlebotomies from Baseline Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. (“Protagonist”) (NASDAQ:PTGX) and Takeda (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) announce that new 52-week results from the pivotal Phase 3 VERIFY study evaluating rusfertide in patients with polycythemia vera (PV) will be presented in an oral presentation at the 67th American Society
Vertex Presents New Data on CASGEVY®, Including First-Ever Data in Children Ages 5-11 Years, at the American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Announces Plan for Global Regulatory Submissions6.12.2025 13:01:00 CET | Press release
- Data from pivotal studies of CASGEVY in children ages 5-11 years with severe sickle cell disease or transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia demonstrates the transformative potential of the therapy in younger patients -- Efficacy and safety data in children 5-11 years are consistent with the durable and positive benefit/risk profile established from clinical studies in patients 12 years of age and older -- Vertex expects to initiate global regulatory submissions for CASGEVY in children 5-11 years in 1H 2026 - Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) today announced data from multiple studies demonstrating the clinical benefits of CASGEVY® (exagamglogene autotemcel) in people ages 5 years and older living with severe sickle cell disease (SCD) or transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia (TDT). The results, including the first presentation of clinical data from pivotal studies in children ages 5-11 years, and longer-term data from the pivotal studies of people with severe SCD and
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom