Targeting canarypox (CP)-HIV vaccine to dendritic cells (DCs) elicits anti-HIV-1 immune responses in vitro. We conducted a phase I/II clinical trial to evaluate whether adding DC to a CP-HIV vaccine improved virologic control during analytic treatment interruption (ATI) in HIV-1-infected subjects. Twenty-nine subjects on suppressive antiretroviral therapy were randomized to vaccination with autologous DCs infected with CP-HIV + keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) (arm A, n = 14) or CP-HIV + KLH alone (arm B, n = 15). The mean viral load (VL) setpoint during ATI did not differ between subjects in arms A and B. A higher percentage of subjects in the DC group had a VL setpoint <5000 c/mL during ATI (4/13 or 31% in arm A compared with 0/13 in arm B, p = 0.096), but virologic control was transient. Subjects in arm A had a greater increase in KLH lymphoproliferative response than subjects in arm B; however, summed ELISPOT responses to HIV-1 antigens did not differ by treatment arm. We conclude that a DC-CP-HIV vaccine is well-tolerated in HIV-1-infected patients, but does not lower VL setpoint during ATI compared with CP-HIV alone. New methods to enhance the immunogenicity and antiviral efficacy of DC-based vaccines for HIV-1 infection are needed.

The AACTG DNA bank will be an important resource for genomic discovery relevant to HIV therapy.

Oral contraceptives should not be the primary method of birth control in women of child-bearing potential who are treated with NVP.

Individuals from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds and women have not been proportionately represented in AIDS clinical trials (ACTs). There have been few intervention efforts to eliminate this health disparity. This paper reports on a brief behavioral intervention to increase rates of screening for ACTs in these groups. The study was exploratory and used a single-group pre/posttest design. A total of 580 persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) were recruited (39% female; 56% African-American, 32% Latino/Hispanic). The intervention was efficacious: 25% attended screening. We identified the primary junctures where PLHA are lost in the screening process. Both group intervention sessions and an individual contact were associated with screening. Findings provide preliminary support for the intervention's efficacy and the utility of combining group and individual intervention formats. Interventions of greater duration and intensity, and which address multiple levels of influence (e.g., social, structural), may be needed to increase screening rates further.

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