FDA Approves Phase One Trials For Possible HIV Cure

The Food and Drug Administration has given the green light to Phase One trials of a possible HIV cure known as AGT103-T. Plus Magazine reports:

It is made from blood cells and initiates a process that increases the body’s T cells, which fight HIV, and uses gene therapy to help those cells survive.

In preclinical studies in cell models, it has demonstrated “the ability to clear itself of HIV when challenged with the virus and HIV-infected human cells,” according to a press release from the company, based in Rockville, Md. American Gene Technologies researched the product in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, a federal government agency.

The Phase I trial will investigate the safety of AGT103-T and measure some factors that indicate whether it’s effective. It is expected to begin in September.

While antiretroviral drugs can control HIV to the point that it’s undetectable, they are not a cure for the virus.