ANTIBODY-BASED TREATMENT OF HIV INFECTION

摘要

An approach to slowing or preventing the progression of HIV infection in an HIV-exposed individual, and to preventing HIV infection in an individual at risk of HIV infection, entails providing antibody:antigen complex or antibody:antigen:complement complex to the individual in titers adequate to competitively inhibit HIV complexes from binding cells via Fc receptors or complement receptors in lymphoid tissue. This approach employs antibodies that bind to cellular antigens to generate antigen:antibody complexes and/or antigen:antibody:complement complexes, which in turn inhibit or prevent the binding of HIV:antibody complexes or HIV:antibody:complement complexes or HIV:complement complexes to cells in lymph tissue. By restricting the concentration of HIV complexes bound to lymph tissue, the load of virally infected cells decreases, increasing the effectiveness of anti-retroviral agents and increasing virus inactivation in the bloodstream. In addition, the decreased concentration or absence of HIV in lymph tissue hinders infection of CD4+ T cells there.