Platelets Target the Circulating HIV Reservoir: Implications for Immunological Failure
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: blood sampling.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: HIV. Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- France
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
PLAQUAGE - Platelets Target the Circulating HIV Reservoir: Implications for Immunological Failure
Overview
HIV/AIDS is a chronic disease that is difficult to eradicate because the virus persists as proviral DNA integrated into the host cells. Despite antiretroviral therapy, proviral DNA persists in lymphoid and myeloid reservoirs, whether circulating (memory CD4+ T cells) or tissue-based (macrophages). HIV reservoirs are highly heterogeneous, making it difficult to identify a specific biomarker or cell profile for a given reservoir. A distinctive feature of HIV reservoirs may be the selective interaction between reservoir cells and platelets. The presence of HIV in platelets could impact disease progression, particularly by triggering the reversal of HIV latency and leading to residual viral production. The frequency of platelets containing circulating virus in the blood is approximately 0.1% of the total platelet volume. Although seemingly negligible, this would represent a daily input of 10⁸ platelets harboring the virus. Furthermore, patients whose platelets contain HIV are primarily those with persistent immunological failure, known as "immunological non-responders" (InR). The regulation of the size (number and frequency) of the HIV reservoir by platelets is not known. However, HIV-containing platelets form more conjugates with CD4+ T cells than HIV-free platelets. While HIV-containing platelets do not productively infect cells, they induce metabolic dysfunction in CD4+ T cells (aerobic glycolysis). Increased aerobic glycolysis is a hallmark of T cell activation and senescence. This suggests an interconnection between the presence of the virus in platelets, the size of the reservoir, and immune dysfunction in HIV.
Interventions
- Other blood sampling
During a routine consultation, a specific 40 mL blood sample will be collected for the study.
Primary outcome measures
- In vivo evaluation of the formation of platelet-PBMC conjugates enriched in latent or active reservoirs and of their transcriptional competence [Time frame: at enrollment]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Adult patients living with HIV with an undetectable viral load for more than 2 years
- Beneficiary of a social security scheme or rightful claimant;
- Patients able to read and understand the information sheet;
- Having signed the consent form.
Exclusion criteria
- being unable to give free and informed consent;
- pregnant or breastfeeding woman;
- being under guardianship, curatorship, or a protection mandate;
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Non-randomized
- Model
- Single group
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
Study locations
France · 1 center
- Centre Hospitalier de Tourcoing — Tourcoing
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07745530 · CHT/URC/2023/10