WOBURN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aphios Corporation today announced that clinical trial enrollment has been completed for a Phase I/II clinical trial on APH-0812 for HIV latency in Madrid, Spain.
“Aphios, which means virus-free in Greek, is investigating therapeutics that can free the body of the HIV virus and result in an HIV cure,” says Dr. Trevor Castor, CEO. “Although current anti-retroviral therapy (cART) is undoubtedly a life-saving therapy for millions of AIDS patients, the persistence of latent HIV-infected cellular reservoirs remains the last major hurdle to virus eradication, since latently infected cells present a permanent source of potential viral reactivation. We are developing APH-0812, which consists of a PKC modulator such as Bryostatin-1 and/or an HDAC inhibitor to reactivate latent HIV reservoirs so that HIV-1 can be eliminated from the body by antiviral therapy or immunotherapy and eradicated from the patient’s body.”
Aphios is collaborating with researchers at the University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain and clinical investigators led by Dr. Santiago Moreno at the Department of Infectious Diseases, Ramón y Cajal Hospital, Madrid, Spain to conduct a Phase I/II randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial initially on the PKC component (Bryostatin-1) of APH-0812 in cART-treated HIV patients in Spain.
Dr. Eduardo Muňoz, a Professor of Immunology at the University of Córdoba, and a Scientific Advisor to Aphios states, “Using an in vitro model of HIV-1 latency, we have shown that Bryostatin-1 reactivates HIV-1 latency in T cells through the classical PKC pathway. Low concentrations of Bryostatin-1 also down-regulate the expression of the human HIV-1 receptors and prevent de novo HIV-1 infection. Our research indicates that the therapeutic effect of Bryostatin-1 for HIV-1 latency can be achieved at concentrations that do not activate signal transduction pathways that may result in adverse side effects. We have also demonstrated in ex vivo studies that Bryostatin-1 activates latent HIV in patients being treated with anti-retroviral therapy.”
About HIV Latency
Currently, more than 22 million people have died from AIDS and there are more than 42 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. In the United States, an estimated 1 million people are currently living with HIV and approximately 40,000 infections occur each year. There is no vaccine against HIV, and AIDS, if untreated, will lead to the death of more than 95% of infected individuals 10 years post-infection. HIV infects several cell types during the course of infection and progression to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). The persistence of latent HIV-infected cellular reservoirs represents the major hurdle to virus eradication with anti-retroviral therapy (ART), since latently infected cells remain a permanent source of viral reactivation. Moreover, ART is problematic because of long-term toxicity, inhibitor resistance, and the inability to target persistent reservoirs.
About the Company
Aphios® Corporation (www.aphios.com) is a clinical stage biotechnology company developing green enabling technology platforms and enhanced natural therapeutic products for health maintenance and disease prevention, and the treatment of cancers and supportive care, infectious diseases such as HIV, and CNS disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis.
