Replenishing immune cell number and repertoire is critical to fighting disease. Cell expansion involves taking an individual's cells, growing them outside the body, and reinfusing them. Technology to eliminate virus from cell cultures before expanding the cells appears to have progressed well. But the benefit of the approach taken by AIS is still unclear. Some subsets are thought to be helpful in fighting HIV and associated conditions, while others may actually be harmful.
Preliminary data suggest that the viral load remained stable.
The company is now going back and using more sensitive tests to measure viral load on stored samples. This approach also appears to be safe, with no obvious side effects. We have previously reported on a number of identical twin cell transfer studies. The data have shown that the cells thrive in the recipient in equal proportions in the lymph nodes and the peripheral blood. Recent work in Australia suggests it may be possible, if cell transfer is conducted before severe immune impairment, to reconstitute the immune system.