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For those who can recall the devastation brought on by the HIV epidemic of the ’80s, the treatments available today are nothing short of a miracle.

This is especially true for the LGBTQ community – particularly gay men – who faced higher infection rates, widespread stigma and systemic discrimination, hindering access to healthcare and crucial community support as the virus ravaged an already marginalized community.

Despite the progress we’ve made over the last four decades, the AIDS crisis of the 1980s leaves a powerful legacy and remains a crucial part of LGBTQ history and health equity discussions today. 🩺

As another Pride Month comes to a close, we celebrate the progress we’ve made and acknowledge the work still ahead. 🏳️‍🌈 Turns out, the University of Washington is a fabulous place to start. 💛 🐾 💜

In a recent editorial from The New York Times, scientists at the UW School of Pharmacy are closing in on longer-acting modalities for HIV treatment, like a weekly pill or a monthly shot. 💊

Rooted in advancements from the Department of Pharmaceutics, the researchers behind our Targeted Long-Acting Combination AntiRetroviral Therapy (TLC-ART) program represent a wealth of expertise as they develop therapeutic treatments for HIV, cancer and other infectious diseases.

Long-acting alternatives to traditional HIV treatment have the potential to turn a formidable disease into a manageable diagnosis with encouraging treatment options, especially for patients with inconsistent access to healthcare, housing and transportation – a promising development in a country where 39 million people live with the disease but only half have it under control.

Looking ahead, researchers at the UW feel optimistic about the future for HIV patients – especially when it comes to stigma surrounding the disease, which is a barrier to treatment in itself.

“That internalized stigma of taking a pill every morning is what prevents them from doing it,” said Dr. Rachel Bender Ignacio, Director of UW Positive Research and a member of TLC-ART leadership team.

The first phase of clinical testing is currently underway for an injectable, long-acting drug product candidate for HIV developed by the TLC-ART program at UW. Stay updated on their progress: https://lnkd.in/gEXAs4qB

Read the editorial and explore our nod in The New York Times: https://lnkd.in/gd2iW-vX

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Professor Rodney Ho and a delegation of scientists (Dr Simone Perazzolo, Dr Zach Stephens, and Dr Rachel Bender Ignacio) will be attending IAS in Munich this July. Be in touch to schedule a meeting.

The TLC-ART work was highlighted in plenary talks at CROI regarding long-acting therapies. Notably, our preliminary results in nonhuman primates demonstrated persistent levels of the well-known tenofovir-lamivudine-dolutegravir (TLD) combination, now feasible as a single subcutaneous long-acting injectable. The full article is available in AIDS.

Our lab was mentioned regarding the drug-drug interaction study published on J Pharm Sci on the long-acting product 101, which includes lopinavir, ritonavir, and tenofovir. According to safety studies in nonhuman primates with six months of 101 dosing, ritonavir appears to have little influence on lopinavir plasma concentration. The hypothesis is that the subcutaneous route and lipidic coating of the particles prevent strong drug-drug interactions as seen with oral pills. So, Could this signal the end of the boosting strategy in infectious diseases?

Dr. Ho and his team attended and contributed to the LEAP workshop and CROI in Denver, highlighting their development in Drug-combination nanoparticle technology. This innovative technology simplifies and scales up the formulation of multiple antiretrovirals into a single injectable for long-acting HIV therpay.

During LEAP, Rodney updated attendees on the project’s progress over the last year. At CROI, their focus was on a poster presentation in the pediatric section, discussing a validated PBPK model for pediatric dosing.

Key topics at CROI included advancements in HIV vaccines, mAbs, long-acting injectables, and pediatric HIV treatment solutions.

For further details, contact tlcart@uw.edu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy 2024!

This year you can find us at CROI in Denver with Prof Rodney Ho presenting TLC-ART progress on LEAP Workshop and Dr Perazzolo presenting a poster on PBPK-driven dosing in pediatrics of LA-injectables.

In July 2024, Prof Ho and Dr Perazzolo will attend the 25th International AIDS Conference in Germany.

See you there!

 

 

Prof. Ho’s Laboratory is featured on POZ.com, an influential print and online brand for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.

Highlighting pivotal developments in HIV treatment from 2023, the article echoes the findings of Perazzolo and colleagues at University of Washington TLC-ART program led by Prfo Ho. Their research introduces a groundbreaking long-acting injectable blend of tenofovir, lamivudine, and dolutegravir, proven effective for a month in primate studies. Leveraging cutting-edge nanoparticle technology, this formulation presents an accessible, possibly self-administered solution, marking a significant stride in enhancing HIV treatment and compliance, with particular promise for resource-limited settings.

https://www.poz.com/article/longerlasting-hiv-meds-horizon

 

TLC-ART can transform first-line 3 drugs TLD (tenofovir/lamivudine/tenofovir) as one long-acting injectable lasting 1 month in nonhuman primates

In a significant pharmaceutical breakthrough, researchers at our laboratory have successfully developed an innovative long-acting injectable version of the antiretroviral drug combination known as TLD, comprising tenofovir, lamivudine, and dolutegravir. This formulation, endorsed as the first-line treatment for HIV by the World Health Organization, employs advanced drug-combination nanoparticle technology. This technology significantly extends the duration of the drug’s presence in the bloodstream to up to one month with just a single injection. The groundbreaking results of this research, conducted on nonhuman primates for now, were recently published in the esteemed journal AIDS, garnering considerable attention and acclaim within the global AIDS research community.

The composition was made of generic and approved components, with public funding, and therefore costs should be limited, which can be of interest to low-mid income countries.

Additionally, leveraging the onboard tenofovir component, long-acting TLD holds the potential for coverage in people living with HIV and HBV.

NEWS:

AIDSmap

Spotlight

Research Article on AIDS

 

Sept 12, 2023

Prof Ho presented TLC-ART work at IAS in Brisbane last July. TLC-ART has proposed the transformation of the short-acting HIV treatment, TLD (Tenofovir, Lamivudine, Dolutegravir), into a long-acting, single-injection formula that is stable in vivo and in nonhuman primates. This new formulation addresses “pill fatigue” and offers consistent treatment effects lasting over four weeks. This advancement paves the way for more efficient HIV treatments and a potential new standard in patient care.

IAS 2023 proceedings.

Contact: tlcart@uw.edu

The study explores preferences for long-acting antiretroviral therapy (LA-ART) regimens among people with HIV (PWH) in the United States.

2023 LEAP CROI 2023 Workshop in Seattle – Rodney Ho and Simone Perazzolo as plenary talks.

February 20, Seattle

The Long-Acting Extended Release Antiretroviral Research Resource Program (LEAP) virtually convened clinicians, investigators, developers, community advocacy groups, not-for-profit institutions, and regulatory authorities. Attendees shared their diverse perspectives and discussed updates, challenges, and future directions in the development of LA formulations. The meeting served as a forum to collectively advance the long-acting field. The Workshop consisted of two Plenary Sessions and four Focus Groups. Below, you’ll find links to video recordings and text summaries of the Plenary and Focus Group presentations.