Safety and Immune Responses Following Anti-PD-1 Monoclonal Antibody Infusions in Healthy Persons With Human Immunodeficiency Virus on Antiretroviral Therapy

Abstract

Background: T cells in people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) demonstrate an exhausted phenotype, and HIV-specific CD4⁺ T cells expressing programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) are enriched for latent HIV, making antibody to PD-1 a potential strategy to target the latent reservoir.

Methods: This was a phase 1/2, randomized (4:1), double-blind, placebo-controlled study in adults with suppressed HIV on antiretroviral therapy with CD4⁺ counts ≥350 cells/μL who received 2 infusions of cemiplimab versus placebo. The primary outcome was safety, defined as any grade 3 or higher adverse event (AE) or any immune-related AE (irAE). Changes in HIV-1-specific polyfunctional CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T-cell responses were evaluated.

Results: Five men were enrolled (median CD4⁺ count, 911 cells/μL; median age, 51 years); 2 received 1 dose of cemiplimab, 2 received 2 doses, and 1 received placebo. One participant had a probable irAE (thyroiditis, grade 2); another had a possible irAE (hepatitis, grade 3), both after a single low-dose (0.3 mg/kg) infusion. The Safety Monitoring Committee recommended no further enrollment or infusions. All 4 cemiplimab recipients were followed for 48 weeks. No other cemiplimab-related serious AEs, irAEs, or grade 3 or higher AEs occurred. One 2-dose recipient of cemiplimab had a 6.2-fold increase in polyfunctional, Gag-specific CD8⁺ T-cell frequency with supportive increases in plasma HIV RNA and decreases in total HIV DNA.

Conclusions: One of 4 participants exhibited increased HIV-1-specific T-cell responses and transiently increased HIV-1 expression following 2 cemiplimab infusions. The occurrence of irAEs after a single, low dose may limit translating the promising therapeutic results of cemiplimab for cancer to immunotherapeutic and latency reversal strategies for HIV. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT03787095.

Keywords: HIV; HIV cure; HIV latency; anti-PD-1 inhibitor; immune checkpoint inhibitors.