Enhancement by Poly-ICLC During HIV-1 Infection

Summary

This study involves researching new approaches to treating HIV infection. Currently, HIV infection is treated with combinations of drugs called antiretrovirals. These drugs protect cells from infection by interfering with the viruses' ability to make copies of itself by infecting new target cells. Though these drugs are very effective, they cannot cure HIV infection and must be taken each and every day at prescribed doses to maintain their beneficial effect. This research study is investigating a new approach that involves an addition to existing medications.

The study is investigating a medication called Poly-ICLC (Hiltonol®, Oncovir), which is an adjuvant. Adjuvants are medications that are designed to boost your body's immune responses resulting from a vaccine. The investigators want to test whether Poly-ICLC is an adjuvant that is effective in HIV-infected patients. A vaccine is not given in this study, but just investigating the adjuvant, Poly-ICLC, to determine whether it may be safe and useful in future vaccines that could be used to treat HIV, called therapeutic vaccines. One goal of future therapeutic vaccines is to reduce the virus that remains persistently inside of cells in a dormant or resting state despite treatment with HIV medications. This persistent pool is termed the "latent virus pool" or "viral reservoir". One tactic to reduce this viral reservoir is to first stimulate HIV to start replicating in order to force it out of hiding. Once viral replication occurs, the infected cells may then be recognized and killed by cells of the immune system. Therefore, we also want to see what effect Poly-ICLC has on the virus that lives inside of cells. Specifically, the investigators want to look at whether Poly-ICLC increases the level of virus inside your cells while also improving your immune system's responses.

The investigators are doing this research in hope to find new ways to treat HIV infection that may reduce exposure to medications that are called antiretrovirals. Antiretrovirals are medications used to treat HIV infection. They are very effective but have side effects and have to be taken each and every day and cannot cure HIV.

Conditions

• HIV-1 Infected Adults With Chronic HIV-1 Infection

Interventions

DRUG

Arm A: Poly-ICLC

Poly-ICLC (Hiltonol®, Oncovir) Administration - On days 1 and 2, patients randomized to this arm will be injected subcutaneously in the arm with 1.4 mg of Poly-ICLC (Hiltonol®, Oncovir). Each subject will receive a total of 2 SC doses of Poly-ICLC. The volume of each injection is 0.7ml. The investigators who are blinded will not be present at the time of injection by the study nurse.

DRUG

Arm B: Normal Saline

Normal Saline - On days 1 and 2, patients randomized to this arm will be injected subcutaneously in the arm with normal saline obtained from the Rockefeller University Pharmacy. Each subject will receive a total of 2 SC doses of normal saline. The volume of each injection is 0.7ml. The investigators who are blinded will not be present at the time of injection by the study nurse.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Campbell Foundation

  collaborator OTHER

• Oncovir, Inc.

  collaborator INDUSTRY

• National Institutes of Health (NIH)

  collaborator NIH

• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

  collaborator NIH

• Nina Bhardwaj

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Nina Bhardwaj, MD, PhD · Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai

• Elizabeth Miller, MD · Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

• Martin Markowitz, MD · Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

55 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2014-04-30

Primary Completion

2016-07-26

Completion

2016-07-26

Countries

• United States

Study Locations