Preexposure Prophylaxis with Albumin-Conjugated C34 Peptide HIV-1 Fusion Inhibitor in SCID-hu Thy/Liv Mice

Abstract

PC-1505 is a C34 peptide derived from the heptad repeat 2 region of HIV-1 gp41 conjugated to human serum albumin for sustained in vivo activity. One single preexposure dose of PC-1505 reduced viral RNA in HIV-1-infected SCID-hu Thy/Liv mice by 3.3 log₁₀ and protected T cells from virus-mediated depletion. In contrast, a single preexposure dose of Truvada reduced viral RNA by only 0.8 log₁₀ and was substantially less effective in preventing T cell depletion.