The RIO trial assessed the impact of two long-acting immune therapies known as broadly neutralising antibodies, or bNAbs, compared with placebo, among 68 people living with HIV who stopped taking their antiretroviral medicines.
The trial primary outcome results, announced at the annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, showed that three quarters of participants who received the bNAbs were able to control the virus while off their antiretroviral therapy, compared to those who received a placebo over a 20-week period.
While the trial primary findings have not yet been published in an academic journal and are therefore not yet peer reviewed, the RIO project team – a research partnership between the University of Oxford, Imperial College London and Rockefeller University, New York - believes they mark an exciting development.
Professor Sarah Fidler of the Department of Infectious Disease at Imperial College London, and chief investigator of the study, said: ‘This is the first time a long-acting immune-based therapy has shown sustained viral control in multiple participants, allowing them to stop their daily antiretroviral medication for over a year. These results could open new avenues for HIV treatment, bringing us closer to our ultimate goal of achieving a cure.’
Professor Fidler is also the Co-Chair of Imperial's Global Development Hub, which focuses on the most pressing research challenges of our time, including HIV.
Professor John Frater, Professor of Infectious Diseases in NDM’s Experimental Medicine Division and co-lead investigator, said: ‘These bNAbs function in two ways—first, by directly targeting and killing HIV, and second, by stimulating new and stronger immune responses. Those who developed the most robust immune responses maintained viral control for the longest period. This is the first evidence that an immune response can be harnessed to control HIV, potentially paving the way for viral eradication.’
Read the full story on the Nuffield Department of Medicine website.