Scientists from Hong Kong begin testing a drug to completely cure HIV

Biotechnology company Immuno Cure BioTech has begun Phase 1 clinical trials of ICVAX, a therapeutic vaccine against HIV/AIDS.

Life-long antiretroviral treatment (ART) neither cures HIV/AIDS nor fully restores immune function, so Immuno Cure says it is critical to discover an effective immunotherapy of potentiating host immunity to achieve a functional cure, a state of suppressed viremia below detection limit for a prolonged period in HIV-infected patients without receiving ART.

Scientists at HKU-AIDS Institute have created the PD-1-enhanced DNA vaccine platform, which has been exclusively licensed to Immuno Cure on a worldwide basis.

The innovation of this platform is based on soluble PD-1-linked antigen targeting to dendritic cells for inducing enhanced host immune responses especially CD8+ T-cells, which is the major immune surveillance force for eliminating HIV-1 infected cells.

ICVAX is developed by Immuno Cure in collaboration with HKU-AIDS Institute, aiming to induce broadly reactive polyfunctional viral-specific T cells to achieve functional cure in HIV/AIDS.

The trial is designed as a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation study to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of ICVAX in stable HIV/AIDS patients under antiretroviral therapy.

By the end of the study, an optimal vaccine regimen that is both safe and immunogenic in stable HIV patients will be identified for subsequent clinical trials in the future.

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