CD4 T-cell deficiency and dysfunction in HIV patients receiving effective antiretroviral therapy

Funding Activity

Website
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/404028

Funding Status
Closed

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Funded Activity Summary

Large numbers of people throughout the world will commence antiretroviral treatment for HIV infection over the next 5 years. This treatment partially corrects CD4 T-cell deficiency (the most characteristic immune defect caused by HIV infection) but does not restore the immune system to normal in patients who were very immunodeficient before treatment. This study will determine the cause of residual immune defects in patients receiving antiretroviral drugs with the aim of introducing new therapies to correct those defects. Our previous studies have demonstrated that the production of new T-cells in HIV patients receiving antiretroviral durgs is affected by the function of the thymus, but that this does not account for the production of all new T-cells. We will investigate other sites of T-cell production in the body. We have also previously shown that poor recovery of CD4 T-cells in patients successfully treated with antiretroviral drugs is associated with immune activation and that the T-cells do not function adequately, even when CD4 T-cell counts are substantially increased. We will determine whether these abnormalities are the result of a persistent defect in T cell activation by monocytes and-or dendritic cells. The findings of our studies will improve the treatment and life-expectancy of individuals with HIV infection.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2006

End Date: 01-01-2008

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $490,020.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Cellular Immunology

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

AIDS and immunodeficiencies | Cellular immunology | Cytokine | HIV pathogenesis | HIV/AIDS | Immune response | Immune system competency | Memory T-cells | T lymphocytes | T-lymphocyte responses

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