PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cytheris SA, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on research and development of new therapies for immune modulation, today announced publication of data from a study in a non-human primate model identifying a new critical function of Interleukin-7 (IL-7) that induces massive and rapid T-cell migration from the blood into various organs, including lymph nodes, parts of the intestine and the skin. The study points towards the importance of evaluating the potential of IL-7 in combination with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in stimulating the T-cell repopulation of the gut, known to be a latent HIV reservoir where the virus can continue to replicate and suppress immune function. The massive T-cell depletion of the GI tract early in the course of HIV infection opens the patient to the effects of opportunistic infections and malignancies which are frequently associated with a weakened immune system in this patient population.
