HIV-specific immunotherapy with DermaVir, the first pDNA/PEIm pathogen-like nanomedicine

Abstract

Eradication of HIV requires the clearance of latently infected cells that remained in the reservoirs after highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). DermaVir is the fi rst nanomedicine that induces long-lasting cytotoxic T cells (CTL) capable to kill these HIV-infected cells. DermaVir is a synthetic " pathogen-like " nanomedicine mimicking the size, shape, surface properties, cellular entry, endosomal escape, and antigen expression features of pathogens (e.g., viruses). We can optimize the biological activity of DermaVir during the manufacturing processes by controlling the physico-chemical properties of the nanoparticles that infl uence its structure and intracellular mode-of-action. In the clinic, targeted delivery of DermaVir to epidermal Langerhans cells is achieved with the DermaPrep medical device. Three clinical trials consistently demonstrated long-lasting CTL induced by DermaVir in HIV-infected people and killing of HIV-infected cells compared to Placebo. Since HAART and DermaVir are complementary, we envision that their combination might be suitable to achieve the cure: HAART to potent viral load suppression and DermaVir to kill latently infected cells that get activated to produce HIV.