CHEMOTHERAPY/IMMUNOTHERAPY FOR HIV INFECTION

University Of Colorado Denver, Aurora CO

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to look at the characteristics of early suppression of HIV in the blood, and see if taking four anti-HIV drugs with GM-CSF or IL-12 helps to speed up the rate that HIV is reduced in the blood. The observed delay between initial drug administration and initial clearance of plasma HIV-1 RNA represents the sum of the distribution of drug to infected tissues and the time within the virus life cycle of drug action. Administration of GM-CSF or interleukin-12 (IL-12) will accelerate the clearance of HIV-1 from long-lived latently infected cells and tissue macrophages. In this study, utilizing four antiretroviral agents (AZT, 3TC, Nevirapine, Indinavir) and very frequent measures of viral load, the investigators will explore the drug-specific kinetics of the 'shoulder' (or clearance of free virus), and refine our model of early viral decay. The decay of long-lived HIV-infected tissue macrophages is thought to be the major determinant of the slow second phase. Using immune modulating agents with the potential to increase the turnover of infected macrophages, GM-CSF or IL-12, we will attempt to accelerate the second phase of viral decay.