cART + vorinostat + ChAdV63.HIVconsv + MVA.HIVconsv

The RIVER trial regimen is an experimental "kick and kill" therapeutic strategy developed by Imperial College London in collaboration with the University of Oxford and Merck & Co. for the treatment of HIV infection. The regimen combines standard combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) with vorinostat (a histone deacetylase inhibitor) and two viral vector-based vaccines, ChAdV63.HIVconsv and MVA.HIVconsv. Vorinostat acts as the "kick" agent, intended to induce the expression of latent HIV from the viral reservoir in resting CD4+ T cells. The "kill" component involves a prime-boost vaccination strategy using a chimpanzee adenovirus vector (ChAdV63) and a modified vaccinia virus Ankara vector (MVA), both encoding conserved HIV-1 regions (HIVconsv), to stimulate HIV-specific T-cell responses. The goal of this combination is to reactivate dormant virus and subsequently eliminate the infected cells to reduce or eradicate the latent HIV reservoir. Results from the Phase 2 RIVER trial (NCT02336074) indicated that the intervention did not significantly reduce the latent reservoir compared to cART alone.

Brand names

ZolinzaIsentressTruvadaPrezistaNorvir

Other names

RIVER trial regimenKick and Kill strategycombination antiretroviral therapy-Imperial College London-HIV infection