Off-the-shelf CAR T cells to achieve long-term control of HIV
Official title: Development of Allogeneic CAR T Cell Therapy for a Functional Cure of HIV Infection
Funded at Massachusetts General Hospital · NIH-11285452 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will develop donor-derived CAR T cells for people living with HIV to control or eliminate the virus so they may not need daily antiretroviral drugs.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | March 1, 2022 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $471,626 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI170189-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11285452 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults living with chronic HIV, particularly those stable on antiretroviral therapy and in generally good health, would be the most likely candidates for future trials.
✕Less likely to help
People without HIV, those with active uncontrolled opportunistic infections, or individuals with severely compromised immune systems would likely not benefit from this therapy.
What this research studies
Researchers are creating donor-derived (allogeneic) CAR T cells that are engineered to find and kill HIV-infected cells so patients would not have to rely on their own T cells. The approach builds on CAR T successes in blood cancers and on animal and humanized-mouse studies using dual CD4-based CAR designs with added costimulatory signals. Making an off-the-shelf product aims to avoid slow, costly manufacturing from each patient and to provide a more consistent therapy. This grant supports laboratory and preclinical work to advance safe, effective manufacturing and to enable future clinical testing in people with HIV.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could give durable control of HIV without lifelong antiretroviral therapy, functioning as a practical cure for many patients.
How similar studies have gone: CAR T therapies have been highly successful for some blood cancers and show encouraging results in animal and humanized-mouse HIV models, but effectiveness in people with HIV is not yet proven.
Where this research is happening
-
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Boutwell, Christian L. — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Boutwell, Christian L.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
A new treatment using CAR-T cells for chronic HIV infection
This study is testing a new one-time treatment using your own immune cells to help people with HIV who struggle with regular medication, aiming to clear the virus from hidden spots in the body and keep it away for a long time.
-
Creating a new type of immune therapy to potentially cure HIV
This study is testing a new type of treatment using specially modified immune cells to help people with HIV fight the virus better, so they might not need to take their usual medications all the time.
-
Understanding how genetic changes in blood cells relate to heart disease in people with HIV
A study will look at how age-related blood cell mutations and large chromosomal changes might contribute to heart disease risk in people living with HIV.
-
Cardiac health and protein markers in kids with perinatal HIV exposure or infection
A study from Duke aims to understand heart health and protein biomarkers in children who were exposed to or infected with HIV at birth, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
-
HBV cure clues in people with and without HIV
This project studies how HBV-specific B and T cell responses relate to curing hepatitis B in people with and without HIV.
-
HBV cure factors in people with and without HIV
This project studies how HBV-specific immune cells behave during treatment and whether people with HIV respond differently than those without HIV.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.