HIV/AIDS clinical trials at University of California Health

Atherosclerosis in the setting of HIV infection is distinct and includes increased vascular inflammation, worsened endothelial function, and a predominance of non-calcified plaque. These outcomes can be assessed using specialized noninvasive imaging which strongly predict future CV events in the general population. PCSK9 has emerged as an important pharmacologic target for cholesterol lowering in the general population and recent studies among individuals without HIV have shown that PCSK9 inhibitor therapy is safely tolerated and significantly reduces major CV events in the general population. The investigators will perform a clinical trial of PCSK9 inhibition in the setting of HIV infection. This will be a randomized, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the effects of PCSK9 inhibition on vascular inflammation, endothelial function, and non-calcified plaque using a PCSK9 inhibitor called alirocumab. This study will recruit 140 treated individuals with HIV who are aged 40 and older, with known CVD or risk factors for CVD and who have evidence of vascular inflammation at baseline. The primary and secondary objective of this study is to determine whether PCSK9 inhibition can improve arterial inflammation as assessed by FDG-PET/CT and endothelial function as assessed by flow mediated vasodilation. The investigators will correlate changes in arterial inflammation and endothelial function with lipids and markers of inflammation and immune activation. The tertiary objective is to perform a pilot evaluation of the impact of PCSK9 inhibition on non-calcified plaque as measured by coronary CT angiography. Non-calcified plaque measurements will be correlated with changes in lipid parameters and markers of inflammation and immune activation.

This is a single center exploratory imaging study involving one intravenous microdose of [18F]F-AraG followed by whole-body positron emission tomography-magnetic resonance (PET-MR) imaging in HIV infected individuals to determine the anatomical distribution of the PET tracer. Participants will be enrolled if they were treated during early or late HIV infection. In addition, individuals not on antiretroviral therapy (ART) or with HIV-1 plasma RNA levels >5,000 copies/mL will be enrolled. Up to 30 participants will be enrolled with HIV.

The goal of this randomized clinical trial is to test the effect of a technology-based intervention with an Adaptive Treatment Strategy (ATS) among youth living with HIV (YLWH) (18-29 years old). This piloted and protocolized intervention combines: (1) brief weekly sessions with a counselor via a video-chat platform (video-counseling) to discuss mental health (MH), substance use (SU), HIV care engagement, and other barriers to care; and (2) a mobile health application (app) to address barriers such as ART forgetfulness and social isolation. Individuals who are not virologically suppressed will be randomized to video-counseling+app or standard of care (SOC). Through this study, the investigators will be able to: Aim 1: Test the efficacy of video-counseling+app vs SOC on virologic suppression in YLWH.The investigators will compare HIV virologic suppression of those randomized to the intervention vs control arms at 16 weeks via an RCT. Aim 2: Assess the impact of video-counseling+app vs SOC on MH and SU in YLWH. The investigators will evaluate the MH and SU differences between the intervention vs control arms at 16 weeks via an RCT. Aim 3: Explore an ATS to individualize the intervention by assigning the: 1. virologic "non-responders" in the intervention arm to intensified video-counseling+app for 16 more weeks, 2. virologic "responders" in the intervention arm to continue only app use for 16 more weeks. Researchers will compare the characteristics of virologic responders and non-responders to the intervention, individualization of the intervention based on these variables, and linkage to MH and SU treatment services among those in need to see if delivery of care is enhanced and impact on virologic suppression.

This is a single-center drug distribution and pharmacokinetic study of a single microdose of 18F-raltegravir given to 10 HIV-infected subjects who are either taking or not taking a raltegravir-containing ART regimen. After administration of IV 18F-raltegravir, subjects will undergo PET/MRI in order to determine the distribution of radiolabeled drug through the lymphoreticular system and other tissues throughout the entire body.

The goal of this study is to understand the interaction between HIV and the host at the earliest stages when HIV medications are paused. Volunteers with HIV will interrupt antiretroviral therapy (ART) and then have intensive studies preformed two to three times per week. Most will resume therapy within three weeks, even if the virus does not rebound during this time.

The overall objective is to evaluate the efficacy of educational text messages to reduce cardiovascular risk among persons living with HIV (PLWH).

This phase II trial studies the side effects of chemotherapy and intensity modulated radiation therapy in treating patients with low-risk HIV-associated anal cancer, and nivolumab after standard of care chemotherapy and radiation therapy in treating patients with high-risk HIV-associated anal cancer. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Chemotherapy drugs, such as mitomycin, fluorouracil, and capecitabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Giving chemotherapy with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving nivolumab after standard of care chemotherapy and radiation therapy may help reduce the risk of the tumor coming back.

This study collects blood and tissue samples for research of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related cancers. Collecting blood and tissue samples and studying biomarkers in the laboratory may help doctors to learn how are biologic or genetic factors related to HIV and cancers that occur commonly in people living with HIV.

This study will support the expansion of long-acting injectable antiretroviral therapy (LAI-ART) in non-clinical settings by developing, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive, theory-informed training intervention to support the administration of LAI-ART by a trained layperson injector (e.g., friend, family, partner identified by a person living with HIV). This study will address barriers to LAI-ART uptake and persistence, enhance real-world effectiveness, and help close critical HIV care gaps.

This study is being done to see if people who control HIV without antiretroviral therapy (ART) after receiving an intervention can remain off ART safely. The information collected in this study is also being used to try to understand how people control HIV without ART after receiving an intervention.

SCOPE is an observational, prospective study of HIV-1 infected volunteers designed to provide a specimen bank of samples with carefully characterized clinical data. SCOPE specimens will be used to examine multiple questions involving virologic, immunologic, and host factors involved in HIV-1 infection, progression, non-progression, response to treatment, control of HIV-1 virus, and evolution of drug resistance.

Despite the dramatic improvements that have resulted from combination antiretroviral treatment, long-term efficacy, toxicity, cost, and the requirements for life-long adherence remain as formidable challenges. Also, there is emerging consensus that persistent HIV-associated disease occurs during long-term highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). This disease may be due to either direct drug-toxicity and/or persistent viral replication/production and/or persistent HIV-associated inflammation. Hence, strategies aimed at achieving complete viral eradication may be needed in order to fully restore health among HIV infected individuals. Even if complete eradication proves impossible-as most believe to be the case-a less rigorous but still desirable outcome might be achieving durable control of virus in the absence of therapy. That a "functional" cure is possible is well illustrated by those rare individuals who are able to durably control replication competent virus in the absence of therapy ("elite" controllers). A more complete understanding of the relationship between inflammation and viral persistence is necessary before more rationale studies of HIV eradication can be designed. Also, a well validated high through-put virologic assay needs to be developed that can estimate the size of the latent reservoir. Since the level of replication competent virus in long-term treated patients (and in elite controllers) is very small (< 1% of CD4 cells harbor HIV), large numbers of CD4+ T cells most be obtained from study participants in order to routinely isolate and quantify virus persistence.