MARISA – Multidisciplinary Assessment of the blood and gut-associated HIV Reservoir and Immunity following Switch from 3-drug to 2-drug Antiretroviral regimens in virologically suppressed patients

Project data

Funding Entity: Italian Ministry of University and Research

Call: PRIN 2020

Coordinator: Università degli Studi di ROMA “Tor Vergata”

UNISI Principal Investigator: Maurizio Zazzi

Department: Medical Biotechnology

Start date: 27 April 2022 – End date: 27 April 2025

 

Project description

HIV infection can be controlled by specific therapy; however, the virus cannot be eradicated due to persistence in a latent form. Thus, once virus replication is halted, treatment must be continued lifelong to avoid virus relapse and clinical deterioration. To limit toxicity, patients under successful treatment are often switched to less demanding or toxic therapy, including reduction from 3-drug to 2-drug cocktails.
The aim of this project is to investigate whether such a treatment simplification carries a risk to expand the number and type of latently infected cells, often referred to as the virus reservoir.

The work plan involves enrollment of patients switching to a simplified treatment regimen and in-depth characterization of the evolution of the virus reservoir by using a comprehensive combination of
immunological, virological and pharmacological assays. The results are expected to guide treatment simplification, thus alleviating drug toxicity while maintaining efficacy in the long-term.

 

This project has received funding from the Italian Ministry of University and Research PRIN programme