Curing HIV?
dallasvoice.comAGT CEO Jeff Galvan American Gene Technologies prepares for Phase 2 trials of a treatment that may eliminate HIV from the body DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writertaffet@dallasvoice.com Maryland-based gene therapy company has completed Phase 1 trials on a cure for HIV/AIDS and is preparing to submit protocols to the Food and Drug Administration for Phase 2.
According to American Gene Technologies, “The trial hit two major benchmarks — proving that its treatment is safe and durable.” “We want to use cutting-edge gene therapies to find cures, not treatments,” said AGT CEO Jeff Galvin in a press release. “We want to disrupt the pharmaceutical industry and replace existing, expensive Big Pharma symptomatic treatments.
We want to revolutionize healthcare.” When a T-cell product that has been taken from a person infected with HIV is modified with the company’s AGT 103, the trial showed it was tolerated well and that these enhanced T-cells persist and are ready to respond to the HIV virus.
The activated T-cells are grown in a protease inhibitor to prevent any residual HIV from replicating. The trial’s first goal concerned safety of the product in high and low doses.
