Considerations for Increasing Racial, Ethnic, Gender, and Sexual Diversity in HIV Cure-Related Research with Analytical Treatment Interruptions: A Qualitative Inquiry

"This Is Actually a Really Unique Moment in Time": Navigating Long-Acting HIV Treatment and HIV Cure Research with Analytical Treatment Interruptions-A Qualitative Interview Study in the United States

Advancements in long-acting (LA) HIV treatment and cure research with analytical treatment interruptions (ATIs) have generated important scientific and implementation questions. There is an urgent need to examine challenges navigating the evolving HIV treatment and cure research landscape. From August to October 2022, we conducted 26 semistructured interviews with biomedical researchers and community members representing a predominantly woman demographic to explore the complexity of navigating the rapidly evolving HIV therapeutic and HIV cure research landscape. We purposively sampled individuals recruited from the AIDS Clinical Trials Group and the Martin Delaney Collaboratories for HIV Cure Research. Audio files were transcribed verbatim and analyzed through a thematic approach, using an inductive and iterative process. Among 26 participants, 10 were biomedical researchers and 16 community members, including 11 were people with HIV. Three main themes emerged: (1) We are at a pivotal moment in the evolving landscape of HIV therapeutics and LA HIV treatment and HIV cure research should not be siloed but considered together; (2) There are challenges with engagement in HIV cure research and in switching between oral daily antiretroviral treatment and LA formulations and, mainly, the prolonged pharmacokinetic tail of these compounds matched with limited patient education about their impacts; and (3) There are unique opportunities as a result of this evolving therapeutic landscape, including the key role of decision support for people with HIV, centering around patient autonomy, and the need to learn from the lived experiences of people with HIV who choose LA treatment and/or participation in HIV cure research. Despite a bias toward the woman gender, our study identifies key considerations for navigating concurrent LA HIV treatment and HIV cure research with ATIs from both community members and biomedical researchers' perspectives. Achieving optimal HIV control remains a formidable challenge, necessitating robust interdisciplinary collaborations and engagement with key stakeholders.

Emerging trends and patterns in healthcare-seeking behavior: A systematic review

OBJECTIVES

The study of healthcare-seeking behavior is essential for optimizing resource allocation and improving healthcare services. Its complexity and diversity have made it a prominent research area. Understanding factors influencing healthcare-seeking decisions allows targeted interventions and policy development to address barriers and ensure equitable access to quality healthcare for diverse populations. Such research plays a vital role in enhancing healthcare outcomes and overall population health.

METHODS

The study utilized a systematic quantitative literature review approach, employing the Web of Science (WOS) Core Collection and PubMed databases as data sources. Additionally, bibliometric tools such as CiteSpace and VOSviewer were employed for analysis and visualization of the literature.

RESULTS

A comprehensive statistical analysis and visualization were performed on the annual publication volume, publication countries, journals, keywords, and keyword co-occurrence patterns up until 2023. Through this analysis, a framework was established, identifying the determinants and fundamental elements of healthcare-seeking behavior. These findings contribute to the advancement of research in this field and inform future studies and interventions aimed at improving healthcare-seeking behavior.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on the aforementioned literature review and framework, several conclusions were drawn. The determinants that facilitate healthcare-seeking behavior include improving health education awareness, enhancing healthcare resources, reducing costs, and ensuring system soundness. Additionally, providing social environment support was found to be crucial. Furthermore, the fundamental elements of healthcare-seeking behavior were identified as healthcare demand, healthcare choices, and the process of diagnosis and treatment. These findings provide valuable insights for developing interventions and policies to promote optimal healthcare-seeking behavior.

Participant experiences in a combination HIV cure-related trial with extended analytical treatment interruption in San Francisco, United States

BACKGROUND

There is limited systematic information available about the perspectives of participants enrolled in intensive combination HIV cure-related trials inclusive of an extended analytical treatment interruption (ATI).

OBJECTIVE

To assess and understand experiences of people with HIV involved in a combination HIV cure-related trial with an extended ATI.

METHODS

The trial included five interventions and was followed by an ATI lasting up to 52 wk. From 2022 - 2023, we conducted in-depth interviews with study participants following their extended ATIs. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed via conventional thematic analysis.

RESULTS

We interviewed seven participants. The majority were male, White, and non-Hispanic, with a median age of 37 years. Trust in the research team, scientific altruism and hope of becoming a post-intervention controller were key motivators for joining the trial. Interviewees reported being satisfied with their decision to participate in the trial and the extended ATI. Most recounted feelings of worry related to viral rebound during the ATI. Participants reported both defeat and relief with ART restart. Four faced challenges with protecting partners from HIV during their ATI, such as trying to find out if their partner(s) were using pre-exposure prophylaxis.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings demonstrate potential improvements for future ATI trial participant experiences, such as more robust resources for psychosocial support and partner protections. Dedicating greater effort to understanding participant ATI experiences can inform the design of future participant-centered HIV cure trial protocols.

The Importance of Social Engagement in the Development of an HIV Cure: A Systematic Review of Stakeholder Perspectives

As research into the development of an HIV cure gains prominence, assessing the perspectives of stakeholders becomes imperative. It empowers stakeholders to determine priorities and influence research processes. We conducted a systematic review of the empirical literature on stakeholder perspectives. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched for empirical, peer-reviewed articles, published before September 2022. Our analysis of 78 papers showed that stakeholders could be divided into three categories: people with HIV, key populations, and professionals. Following thematic synthesis, two main themes were distinguished: stakeholders' perspectives on HIV cure research and stakeholders' perspectives on HIV cure. Research on perspectives on HIV cure research showed that stakeholders' hypothetical willingness to participate (WTP) in HIV cure research was relatively high, while actual WTP was found to be lower. Studies also identified associated (individual) characteristics of hypothetical WTP, as well as facilitators and barriers to hypothetical participation. Additionally, we reported research on experiences of actual HIV cure research participation. Our analysis of stakeholder perceptions of HIV cure showed that most stakeholders preferred a cure that could eliminate HIV and outlined positive associated impacts. Furthermore, we observed that most included studies were conducted among PWHIV, and in the Global North. To empower stakeholders, we recommend that future research include an even greater diversity of stakeholders and incorporate theories of behavior to further explore how stakeholders decide to meaningfully engage in every stage of HIV cure research.

A partner protection package for HIV cure-related trials involving analytical treatment interruptions

Analytical treatment interruptions (ATIs) have become a key methodological approach to evaluate the effects of experimental HIV cure-related research interventions. During ATIs, sex partners of trial participants might be at risk of acquiring HIV. This risk raises both ethical and feasibility concerns about ATI trials. We propose a partner protection package (P3) approach to address these concerns. A P3 approach would provide guidance to investigators, sponsors, and those who are designing and implementing context-specific partner protections in HIV cure-related trials involving ATIs. The approach would also help assure institutional review boards, trial participants, and communities that ATI trials with a P3 would provide appropriate partner protections. We offer a prototype P3 framework that delineates three basic considerations for protecting participants' sex partners during ATI trials: (1) ensuring the scientific and social value of the ATI and the trial, (2) reducing the likelihood of unintended HIV transmission, and (3) ensuring prompt management of any acquired HIV infection. We outline possible ways of implementing these basic considerations.

Increasing the meaningful involvement of women in HIV cure-related research: a qualitative interview study in the United States

BACKGROUND

Cisgender women represent over half of people living with HIV globally. However, current research efforts toward a cure for HIV focus predominantly on cisgender men. The under-representation of women in HIV cure clinical studies is particularly problematic given data suggesting that sex-dependent phenotypes limit scientific discovery.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to generate considerations to increase the meaningful involvement of women in HIV cure-related research.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted in-depth interviews with biomedical researchers and community members to better understand factors that could increase the meaningful involvement of women in HIV cure clinical trials. Participants were affiliated with academia, industry, community advisory boards, and community-based organizations, and were identified using listings from the AIDS Clinical Trials Group and the Martin Delaney Collaboratories. We used conventional content analysis to analyze the qualitative data.

RESULTS

We recruited 27 participants, of whom 11 were biomedical researchers and 16 were community members. Participants included 25 cisgender women, 1 transgender woman, and 1 cisgender man. Key considerations emerged, including the need to ensure that HIV cure studies reflect HIV epidemiologic trends and having accurate representation by sex and gender in HIV cure research. To increase the meaningful involvement of women, recommendations included instituting intentional enrollment goals, frequent and mandatory reporting on enrollment, and incentives for sites to enroll women. Additional themes included the need for agency and self-determination, attention to lived experiences, trauma and healing, and adequate support for women (e.g. logistical, psychosocial, mental, emotional, and physical). Participants noted that women would be willing to participate in HIV cure trials, related procedures (e.g. biopsies), and analytical treatment interruptions. They also expressed a desired for women-centered and holistic clinical trial designs that account for intersectionality.

CONCLUSIONS

Our empirical inquiry extends recent calls to action to increase diversity of people involved in HIV cure research. Redressing the under-inclusion of women in HIV cure research is an urgent imperative. The entire field must mobilize and reform to achieve this goal. Meaningfully involving women across the gender spectrum in HIV cure research is needed to ensure that interventions are safe, effective, scalable, and acceptable for all people with HIV.

'With this study, we have hope that something is coming': community members' perceptions of HIV cure-related research in Durban, South Africa - a qualitative focus group study

BACKGROUND

Developing a cure for HIV remains a global scientific priority. In 2022, the Females Rising through Education, Support and Health (FRESH) cohort launched an HIV cure-related trial involving an analytical treatment interruption (ATI) in Durban, South Africa.

OBJECTIVES

To explore community perspectives about HIV cure-related research.

METHODS

Between July-August 2022, we conducted three focus groups with community members. We transcribed audio recordings verbatim and used content analysis to analyze the data.

RESULTS

Twenty community members (13 women and 7 men) participated in three focus groups (HIV status not included). Participants viewed HIV cure-related research as a way to address the issue of defaulting on (not taking) HIV treatment. Participants expressed hesitancy around ATIs, since these contradict longstanding treatment adherence messages. Participants shared concerns around the risk of side effects from experimental interventions balanced against potential efficacy. They advocated for trial participants to have the right to decide whether to inform their sex partners about their HIV status and ATI participation, rather than research teams making disclosure mandatory. Focus group participants also emphasized the importance of using simple language to explain HIV cure-related research.

CONCLUSIONS

With HIV cure trials set to launch across Africa in the future, there is a critical need to better understand and respond to local community needs and preferences and to adopt this as standard practice prior to regional trial implementation.

Lessons learned from the Last Gift study: ethical and practical challenges faced while conducting HIV cure-related research at the end of life

The Last Gift is an observational HIV cure-related research study conducted with people with HIV at the end of life (EOL) at the University of California San Diego. Participants agree to voluntarily donate blood and other biospecimens while living and their bodies for a rapid research autopsy postmortem to better understand HIV reservoir dynamics throughout the entire body. The Last Gift study was initiated in 2017. Since then, 30 volunteers were enrolled who are either (1) terminally ill with a concomitant condition and have a prognosis of 6 months or less or (2) chronically ill with multiple comorbidities and nearing the EOL.Multiple ethical and logistical challenges have been revealed during this time; here, we share our lessons learnt and ethical analysis. Issues relevant to healthcare research include surrogate informed consent, personal and professional boundaries, challenges posed conducting research in a pandemic, and clinician burnout and emotional support. Issues more specific to EOL and postmortem research include dual roles of clinical care and research teams, communication between research personnel and clinical teams, legally required versus rapid research autopsy, identification of next of kin/loved ones and issues of inclusion. Issues specific to the Last Gift include logistics of body donation and rapid research autopsy, and disposition of the body as a study benefit.We recommend EOL research teams to have clear provisions around surrogate informed consent, rotate personnel to maintain boundaries, limit direct contact with staff associated with clinical care and have a clear plan for legally required versus research autopsies, among other recommendations.

HIV cure: an acceptability scientific agenda

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Recent years have seen major investments into HIV cure research, seeking a permanent cure or remission. The purpose of this review is to consider how this important research agenda could be broadened to include issues of acceptability and appropriateness for different populations.

RECENT FINDINGS

We discuss how the definitions of cure such as functional cure (remission) or complete cure (viral elimination) could be interpreted differently by various populations. We also discuss the different methods of cure and the importance of including Africa in cure research to ensure that emerging remedies could be trialled and utilized on the continent that bears the brunt of the AIDS pandemic.

SUMMARY

We propose that the social science research of HIV cure acceptability should be done concurrently with the basic and clinical sciences, to ensure that cure methods consider stakeholder preferences.

Challenges of HIV therapeutic vaccines clinical trials design

PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW

To discuss main challenges of therapeutic vaccine clinical trials design, implementation and analyses in the HIV cure field.

RECENT FINDINGS

Therapeutic vaccines are progressively being postulated as T-cell stimulating agents to use in combination HIV cure strategies, with the addition of immunomodulators, latency reversing agents and/or broadly neutralizing antibodies. Although promising strategies are rapidly evolving in preclinical studies using nonhuman primate models, translation into human testing in randomized controlled clinical trials is more challenging and expensive to conduct. Adaptive designs, access to cohorts of early-treated individuals, consensus on how to safely conduct analytical treatment interruptions, use of alternative statistical methods, development of point-of-care/home-based testing technologies and ensuring early engagement of communities where research is being developed are some of the critical aspects to consider to facilitate clinical trial development in the HIV cure field.

SUMMARY

Design and development of HIV therapeutic vaccine clinical trials poses many challenges, from Phase 0/pilot studies to Phase I/II trials in which efficacy of the intervention is being tested and antiretroviral therapy cessation is needed, complexity of cure trials progressively increases. Understanding fundamental issues and careful planning of therapeutic vaccine clinical trials is crucial to minimize design flaws, reduce loss of follow-ups and missing data while ensuring participant's safety and guarantee valid and accurate analyses and thus, better contribute towards an HIV cure.

"I know that I was a part of making a difference": Participant motivations for joining a cure-directed HIV trial with an analytical treatment interruption

Analytical treatment interruption (ATI), defined as a closely monitored clinical pause in antiretroviral therapy, is a core component of many HIV cure-directed clinical studies. ATIs may cause significant physical and psychosocial risks for people living with HIV and, as a result, integrating participant and community perspectives into clinical trial designs that include an ATI is crucial to ensuring a successful and person-centered trial. We conducted semi-structured interviews with participants enrolling in the BEAT-2 cure-directed trial (NCT03588715). Interviews elicited participant motivations and decision-making processes for trial participation as well as participants' perceptions of the ATI. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a directed content analysis. Fourteen of 15 trial participants completed interviews. The majority were Black (79%) cisgender male (79%). Participants noted several significant motivating factors contributing to their desire to enroll in the HIV cure-directed clinical trial, the most prominent being a desire to find a cure for HIV and help others in the HIV community. HIV care teams were the most commonly identified resource for patients when making the decision to enroll in the trial, and family, friends, and romantic partners also played a significant role. Altruism was a primary motivation for participation, although participants also shared interest in learning about HIV science and research. Participants had a strong understanding of trial procedures and displayed significant trust in the study team to keep them informed and healthy during their participation. The ATI was a significant source of anxiety for participants. Their primary worry was that their prior antiretroviral treatment (ART) regimen would no longer be effective once they resumed ART. Despite these concerns, participants shared considerable excitement for continued participation in the trial and being a part of the search towards an HIV cure.

Short Communication: Population Representation in HIV Cure Research: A Review of Diversity Within HIV Cure Studies Based in the United States

HIV is experienced across diverse populations, with gender and racial/ethnic minority populations bearing a significant proportion of disease. With National Institutes of Health (NIH) placing a priority on the enrollment of women and racial/ethnic minorities into studies, it is important to understand the diversity of participants in research. We sought to characterize how HIV cure research studies report data on diversity. A sampling frame of publications with funding provided by the Martin Delaney Collaboratories for HIV Research in 2019 was reviewed for reporting of demographic data. Of 55 publications that included research on humans/human specimens, only 51% provided any demographic description. There often is insufficient consideration of diversity of populations in HIV cure research. Ameliorating gaps in this regard will require recruitment of diverse populations/specimens and specifications to report demographic data in articles. This will ensure inclusion of diverse participants in HIV cure research from earliest laboratory to eventual phase III studies.

Community HIV clinicians' perceptions about HIV cure-related research in the Northwestern United States

Background: Research on stakeholder perspectives of HIV cure research has involved people with HIV (PWH), who generally cite the importance of HIV clinician advice in making decisions about trial participation. However, there has been little exploration of non-researcher community HIV clinician perspectives, which are clearly critical to the success of HIV cure-related research.Objective: We aimed to learn how community HIV clinicians perceive HIV cure research and identify factors that would lead them to support or discourage HIV cure trial participation by their patients.Methods: We recruited a purposive sample of 12 community HIV clinicians in metro-Seattle, WA to participate in structured interviews. We completed 11 interviews via teleconference and received one written response. We used conventional content analysis to analyze the data.Results: Overall, community HIV clinicians were supportive of patient participation in HIV cure trials. Factors affecting support included knowledge of local trials, ease of referral, patient immune function and health stability, study risks and benefits, burden of study requirements, patient characteristics, patient life stability, potential impact on engagement in care, study communication plans, and beliefs that patients should have the autonomy to decide to participate. Participants had concerns about trials requiring treatment delays or interruptions and HIV transmission risk. While their knowledge of the field was limited, they were interested in learning more about open HIV cure trials.Conclusions: It would benefit the HIV cure research community if those leading HIV cure trials make stronger efforts to engage community clinicians who care for PWH, but are not active researchers, early in the trial design process. Such engagement prior to launching HIV cure trials will improve trial designs, leading to better enrollment and retention within these important studies.

"It comes altogether as one:" perceptions of analytical treatment interruptions and partner protections among racial, ethnic, sex and gender diverse HIV serodifferent couples in the United States

BACKGROUND

Most HIV cure-related studies involve interrupting antiretroviral treatment to assess the efficacy of pharmacologic interventions - also known as analytical treatment interruptions (ATIs). ATIs imply the risk of passing HIV to sexual partners due to the loss of undetectable HIV status. There has been a notable lack of attention paid to perceptions of ATIs among racial, ethnic, sex and gender minorities, and HIV serodifferent couples. These populations are among those most impacted by HIV in the United States. Future HIV cure research paradigms should equitably include considerations from these groups.

METHODS

From August - October 2020, we conducted in-depth interviews with 10 racial, ethnic, sex, and gender minority HIV serodifferent couples in geographically diverse regions of the United States to understand their perspectives about ATIs and partner protection measures to prevent secondary HIV transmissions because of participation in ATI studies. We used framework analysis to analyze the qualitative data.

RESULTS

Of the 10 couples recruited, four identified as a gay couple, two as a gay and bisexual couple, two as a heterosexual couple, one as a gay and queer couple, and one as a queer couple. We found that HIV serodifferent couples in our study viewed ATIs as contradicting HIV treatment adherence messages. Couples expressed discomfort around ATIs in HIV cure research. They were concerned with the return of HIV detectability and worried ATIs might result in secondary HIV transmission. Participants were strongly in favor of using a range of partner protection measures during ATIs that included PrEP, HIV risk reduction counseling, and alternatives for penetrative sex practices. Couples also recommended that sex partners be consulted or involved as part of ATI trials.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight new potential opportunities and strategies to mitigate risk of HIV transmission during ATIs among key groups historically under-represented in HIV cure research. Findings also underscore the relational aspects of ATI trials. We provide preliminary considerations for planning ATI trials with diverse HIV serodifferent partners. Future studies should continue to explore these issues among other types of partnerships, cultures, and socio-cultural settings.

The ethical imperative to reduce HIV stigma through community-engaged, status-neutral interventions designed with and for transgender women of colour in the United States

INTRODUCTION

In the era of biomedical HIV prevention and treatment technologies, such as treatment as prevention (TasP) and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), there is momentum to develop and rigorously evaluate interventions focused on PrEP among those at risk for HIV acquisition and antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among people living with HIV. While HIV status-specific interventions focused on PrEP or ART provide valuable information, status-segregated interventions can create, perpetuate, and even increase HIV stigma among transgender women of colour and other marginalized communities in the United States (US).

DISCUSSION

Due largely to community advocacy, discourses that support status-neutral approaches have emerged in the scientific literature. Although US-based funding mechanisms have typically designated awards focused on a specific HIV status, intervention developers and implementing agencies find creative ways to design and implement status-neutral programmes despite such restrictions. We present our experience with intervention research in New York, Detroit, New Orleans, Puerto Rico and the San Francisco Bay Area, all Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) priority jurisdictions. Kickin it with the Gurlz' was developed to be status-neutral through two grants due to community demands for a unifying approach. The Transgender Women Engagement and Entry to (TWEET) Care Project was designed to improve HIV care engagement for transgender women living with HIV, but developers realized the importance of including participants of any HIV status. Healthy Divas was designed for transgender women living with HIV but subsequent implementing agencies prioritized adapting it to be status-neutral. These examples support the urgency of designing, implementing and evaluating status-neutral interventions.

CONCLUSIONS

Community-based organizations strive for inclusivity in their programming and are rightly often reluctant to segregate services based on the HIV status of their clients. As researchers, we have an ethical imperative to work to reduce HIV stigma and respond to the needs of those most impacted by HIV, including transgender women of colour. As such, we call upon funders to develop mechanisms that support the development and testing of HIV status-neutral interventions to reduce HIV stigma and support community building, thereby increasing the possibility of fully realizing the benefits of biomedical HIV prevention and treatment technologies for all.

Proactive strategies to optimize engagement of Black, Hispanic/Latinx, transgender, and nonbinary individuals in a trial of a novel agent for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)

INTRODUCTION

Black and Hispanic/Latinx cisgender men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender women, transgender men, and gender nonbinary (TGNB) individuals have been historically underrepresented in HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) clinical trials. There is an urgent need for ongoing engagement with communities that have been the most impacted by HIV and diverse representation in clinical trials. Here we describe strategic approaches undertaken in the PURPOSE 2 trial to optimize engagement of underrepresented individuals.

METHODS AND RESULTS

PURPOSE 2 is an ongoing Phase 3 trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of lenacapavir as PrEP in cisgender MSM and TGNB individuals. In PURPOSE 2, we used a multipronged approach aimed at enriching participation of underrepresented individuals. We conducted a review to identify evidence-informed recommendations from literature, engaged with stakeholders, and established the Global Community Advisory and Accountability Group (GCAG) to represent the needs of the community. Insights from stakeholders and GCAG members resulted in an expansion of the study population to include transgender men, gender nonbinary persons, and adolescents, and evaluation of population-specific outcomes. Feedback from stakeholders and GCAG members also informed investigator and site selection; these were selected based on prior experience working with persons from diverse racial, ethnic and gender identities, and estimates of local HIV incidence. Site selection was also expanded to include community-based clinics with services tailored towards Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and TGNB populations. We established a study-wide recruitment goal of 50% Black MSM and 20% Hispanic/Latinx MSM in US sites and 20% transgender women globally. Site-specific recruitment goals were also developed based on local demographics and HIV incidence. Mandatory trainings included Good Participatory Practice guidelines, gender inclusivity, and antiracism.

CONCLUSION

While further work is needed to achieve equitable representation, the strategies we describe may serve as a framework for future clinical trials.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinical Trial Number: NCT04925752.

Perceptions of HIV cure and willingness to participate in HIV cure-related trials among people enrolled in the Netherlands cohort study on acute HIV infection

Background

People who initiate antiretroviral therapy (ART) during acute HIV infection are potential candidates for HIV cure-related clinical trials, as early ART reduces the size of the HIV reservoir. These trials, which may include ART interruption (ATI), might involve potential risks. We explored knowledge and perception of HIV cure and willingness to participate in cure-related trials among participants of the Netherlands Cohort Study on Acute HIV infection (NOVA study), who started antiretroviral therapy immediately after diagnosis of acute HIV infection.

Methods

We conducted 20 in-depth qualitative interviews with NOVA study participants between October-December 2018. Data were analyzed thematically, using inductive and iterative coding techniques.

Findings

Most participants had limited knowledge of HIV cure and understood HIV cure as complete eradication of HIV from their bodies. HIV cure was considered important to most participants, mostly due to the stigma surrounding HIV. More than half would consider undergoing brief ATI during trial participation, but only one person considered extended ATI. Viral rebound and increased infectiousness during ATI were perceived as large concerns. Participants remained hopeful of being cured during trial participation, even though they were informed that no personal medical benefit was to be expected.

Interpretation

Our results highlight the need for thorough informed consent procedures with assessment of comprehension and exploration of personal motives prior to enrollment in cure-related trials. Researchers might need to moderate their expectations about how many participants will enroll in a trial with extended ATI.

Ethical and practical considerations for cell and gene therapy toward an HIV cure: findings from a qualitative in-depth interview study in the United States

BACKGROUND

HIV cure research involving cell and gene therapy has intensified in recent years. There is a growing need to identify ethical standards and safeguards to ensure cell and gene therapy (CGT) HIV cure research remains valued and acceptable to as many stakeholders as possible as it advances on a global scale.

METHODS

To elicit preliminary ethical and practical considerations to guide CGT HIV cure research, we implemented a qualitative, in-depth interview study with three key stakeholder groups in the United States: (1) biomedical HIV cure researchers, (2) bioethicists, and (3) community stakeholders. Interviews permitted evaluation of informants' perspectives on how CGT HIV cure research should ethically occur, and were transcribed verbatim. We applied conventional content analysis focused on inductive reasoning to analyze the rich qualitative data and derive key ethical and practical considerations related to CGT towards an HIV cure.

RESULTS

We interviewed 13 biomedical researchers, 5 community members, and 1 bioethicist. Informants generated considerations related to: perceived benefits of CGT towards an HIV cure, perceived risks, considerations necessary to ensure an acceptable benefit/risk balance, CGT strategies considered unacceptable, additional ethical considerations, and considerations for first-in-human CGT HIV cure trials. Informants also proposed important safeguards to developing CGT approaches towards an HIV cure, such as the importance of mitigating off-target effects, mitigating risks associated with long-term duration of CGT interventions, and mitigating risks of immune overreactions.

CONCLUSION

Our study identified preliminary considerations for CGT-based HIV cure across three key stakeholder groups. Respondents identified an ideal cure strategy as one which would durably control HIV infection, protect the individual from re-acquisition, and eliminate transmission to others. Known and unknown risks should be anticipated and perceived as learning opportunities to preserve and honor the altruism of participants. Preclinical studies should support these considerations and be transparently reviewed by regulatory experts and peers prior to first-in-human studies. To protect the public trust in CGT HIV cure research, ethical and practical considerations should be periodically revisited and updated as the science continues to evolve. Additional ethics studies are required to expand stakeholder participation to include traditionally marginalized groups and clinical care providers.

Moving toward equity: fostering transdisciplinary research between the social and behavioral sciences and implementation science to end the HIV epidemic

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Since the beginning of the HIV epidemic, social and behavioral scientists have developed interventions to stem the spread of the virus. The dissemination of these interventions has traditionally been a lengthy process; however, implementation science (IS) offers a route toward hastening delivery of effective interventions. A transdisciplinary approach, wherein IS informs and is informed by social and behavioral sciences (SBS) as well as community participation, offers a strategy for more efficiently moving toward health equity and ending the HIV epidemic.

RECENT FINDINGS

There has been considerable growth in HIV research utilizing IS theories, methods and frameworks. Many of these studies have been multi or interdisciplinary in nature, demonstrating the ways that IS and SBS can strengthen one another. We also find areas for continued progress toward transdisciplinarity.

SUMMARY

We review literature from 2020 to 2021, exploring the ways IS and SBS have been used in tandem to develop, evaluate and disseminate HIV interventions. We highlight the interplay between disciplines and make a case for moving toward transdisciplinarity, which would yield new, integrated frameworks that can improve prevention and treatment efforts, moving us closer to achieving health equity.

Preliminary Acceptability of a Home-Based Peripheral Blood Collection Device for Viral Load Testing in the Context of Analytical Treatment Interruptions in HIV Cure Trials: Results from a Nationwide Survey in the United States

Frequent viral load testing is necessary during analytical treatment interruptions (ATIs) in HIV cure-directed clinical trials, though such may be burdensome and inconvenient to trial participants. We implemented a national, cross-sectional survey in the United States to examine the acceptability of a novel home-based peripheral blood collection device for HIV viral load testing. Between June and August 2021, we distributed an online survey to people with HIV (PWH) and community members, biomedical HIV cure researchers and HIV care providers. We performed descriptive analyses to summarize the results. We received 73 survey responses, with 51 from community members, 12 from biomedical HIV cure researchers and 10 from HIV care providers. Of those, 51 (70%) were cisgender men and 50 (68%) reported living with HIV. Most (>80% overall) indicated that the device would be helpful during ATI trials and they would feel comfortable using it themselves or recommending it to their patients/participants. Of the 50 PWH, 42 (84%) indicated they would use the device if they were participating in an ATI trial and 27 (54%) also expressed a willingness to use the device outside of HIV cure studies. Increasing sensitivity of viral load tests and pluri-potency of the device (CD4 count, chemistries) would augment acceptability. Survey findings provide evidence that viral load home testing would be an important adjunct to ongoing HIV cure-directed trials involving ATIs. Survey findings may help inform successful implementation and uptake of the device in the context of personalized HIV care.

Bringing social context into global biomedical HIV cure-related research: An urgent call to action

Advances in science have ushered in a wave of new potential curative and control strategies for HIV that could eliminate the current requirement for life-long antiretroviral therapy (ART) for people living with HIV (PLWH). In this article, we argue that it is critical to consider social contexts in the development of HIV cure trial protocols. The biological and behavioral risk factors for HIV acquisition by study participants are inseparable from the social context in which these participants live. The article discusses an example of a cohort established to further HIV cure research that included social context, called the FRESH Acute HIV study, which combines a sociostructural intervention while conducting HIV prevention, treatment and cure-related research in Durban, South Africa. We make an urgent call to action to include sociobehavioral components as instrumental in future HIV cure trials in global context.

Research priorities for an HIV cure: International AIDS Society Global Scientific Strategy 2021

Despite the success of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for people living with HIV, lifelong treatment is required and there is no cure. HIV can integrate in the host genome and persist for the life span of the infected cell. These latently infected cells are not recognized as foreign because they are largely transcriptionally silent, but contain replication-competent virus that drives resurgence of the infection once ART is stopped. With a combination of immune activators, neutralizing antibodies, and therapeutic vaccines, some nonhuman primate models have been cured, providing optimism for these approaches now being evaluated in human clinical trials. In vivo delivery of gene-editing tools to either target the virus, boost immunity or protect cells from infection, also holds promise for future HIV cure strategies. In this Review, we discuss advances related to HIV cure in the last 5 years, highlight remaining knowledge gaps and identify priority areas for research for the next 5 years.

Ethics of HIV cure research: an unfinished agenda

Background

The pursuit of a cure for HIV is a high priority for researchers, funding agencies, governments and people living with HIV (PLWH). To date, over 250 biomedical studies worldwide are or have been related to discovering a safe, effective, and scalable HIV cure, most of which are early translational research and experimental medicine. As HIV cure research increases, it is critical to identify and address the ethical challenges posed by this research.

Methods

We conducted a scoping review of the growing HIV cure research ethics literature, focusing on articles published in English peer-reviewed journals from 2013 to 2021. We extracted and summarized key developments in the ethics of HIV cure research. Twelve community advocates actively engaged in HIV cure research provided input on this summary and suggested areas warranting further ethical inquiry and foresight via email exchange and video conferencing.

Discussion

Despite substantial scholarship related to the ethics of HIV cure research, additional attention should focus on emerging issues in six categories of ethical issues: (1) social value (ongoing and emerging biomedical research and scalability considerations); (2) scientific validity (study design issues, such as the use of analytical treatment interruptions and placebos); (3) fair selection of participants (equity and justice considerations); (4) favorable benefit/risk balance (early phase research, benefit-risk balance, risk perception, psychological risks, and pediatric research); (5) informed consent (attention to language, decision-making, informed consent processes and scientific uncertainty); and (6) respect for enrolled participants and community (perspectives of people living with HIV and affected communities and representation).

Conclusion

HIV cure research ethics has an unfinished agenda. Scientific research and bioethics should work in tandem to advance ethical HIV cure research. Because the science of HIV cure research will continue to rapidly advance, ethical considerations of the major themes we identified will need to be revisited and refined over time.