Revisiting CAR-T Cells for Treating HIV Shows Promise
The rise in the development of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells for use against various forms of cancer has been well documented due to encouraging results in recent years. Yet, the earliest CAR T-cell trials were done in the early 1990s for HIV-1 infections but were sidelined due to less than efficacious results. However, many scientists believe that the emerging number of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) could provide real opportunities to reconsider CAR T cells as a viable approach for HIV immunotherapy.
Now, investigators from the UCLA AIDS Institute and Center for AIDS Research have reported on their recent results surrounding the discovery of potent antibodies that can be used to generate CAR T cells that kill HIV-1–infected cells…