Interleukin 7 – A New Hope for HIV-Associated Immunodeficiency?

Treatment of HIV-infected patients with combination antiretroviral therapy results in complete suppression of HIV replication and increases in the CD4+ T-cell pool in the majority of cases, in parallel with an improvement in the immune function and a reduction in the risk of opportunistic infections. However, in a certain subset of individuals, the long-term success of HAART does not always result in optimal restoration of CD4+ T-cells. These so-called “immunologic non-responders� might display a low thymic activity. In this scenario, other immune therapies aimed at increasing thymic output and/or peripheral expansion of T-cells would be desirable.