BioCentury
ARTICLE | Targets & Mechanisms

Second wind for T cells

December 18, 2008 8:00 AM UTC

In the battle against HIV, HBV and HCV, all of which establish persistent infections that eventually wear down the antiviral cytotoxic T cell response, the odds for the immune system are poor. Three studies now show that blocking a bevy of T cell-inhibitory receptors can reverse this effect. The findings provide new validation for the approach taken by Medarex Inc., which has four products targeting such receptors in its cancer and HCV pipelines.

Two studies, published in Nature Immunology and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, used a murine lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) model of chronic viral infection to identify receptors that suppress cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response.1,2 A third study in Nature showed the efficacy of the strategy in a macaque model of HIV.3...