Platelets Target the Circulating HIV Reservoir: Implications for Immunological Failure (PLAQUAGE)

July 29, 2026 updated by: Tourcoing Hospital

PLAQUAGE - Platelets Target the Circulating HIV Reservoir: Implications for Immunological Failure

HIV/AIDS is a chronic disease that is difficult to eradicate because the virus persists as proviral DNA integrated into the host cells. Despite antiretroviral therapy, proviral DNA persists in lymphoid and myeloid reservoirs, whether circulating (memory CD4+ T cells) or tissue-based (macrophages). HIV reservoirs are highly heterogeneous, making it difficult to identify a specific biomarker or cell profile for a given reservoir. A distinctive feature of HIV reservoirs may be the selective interaction between reservoir cells and platelets. The presence of HIV in platelets could impact disease progression, particularly by triggering the reversal of HIV latency and leading to residual viral production. The frequency of platelets containing circulating virus in the blood is approximately 0.1% of the total platelet volume. Although seemingly negligible, this would represent a daily input of 10⁸ platelets harboring the virus. Furthermore, patients whose platelets contain HIV are primarily those with persistent immunological failure, known as "immunological non-responders" (InR).

The regulation of the size (number and frequency) of the HIV reservoir by platelets is not known. However, HIV-containing platelets form more conjugates with CD4+ T cells than HIV-free platelets. While HIV-containing platelets do not productively infect cells, they induce metabolic dysfunction in CD4+ T cells (aerobic glycolysis). Increased aerobic glycolysis is a hallmark of T cell activation and senescence.

This suggests an interconnection between the presence of the virus in platelets, the size of the reservoir, and immune dysfunction in HIV.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

90

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • France
      • Tourcoing, France, 59200
        • Recruiting
        • Centre Hospitalier de Tourcoing
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Olivier Robineau, MD, PhD

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adult patients living with HIV with an undetectable viral load for more than 2 years
  • Beneficiary of a social security scheme or rightful claimant;
  • Patients able to read and understand the information sheet;
  • Having signed the consent form.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • being unable to give free and informed consent;
  • pregnant or breastfeeding woman;
  • being under guardianship, curatorship, or a protection mandate;

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Immunological non-responders 1
Immunological non-responders (<500 CD4+ T cells/µL, undetectable viral load for >2 years) with a CD4+ T cell nadir below 100.
Other: blood sampling
During a routine consultation, a specific 40 mL blood sample will be collected for the study.
Experimental: Immunological responders
Immunological responders (>500 CD4+ T cells/µL, undetectable viral load for >2 years)
Other: blood sampling
During a routine consultation, a specific 40 mL blood sample will be collected for the study.
Experimental: Immunological non-responders 2
Immunological non-responders (<500 CD4+ T cells/µL, undetectable viral load for >2 years) with a CD4+ T cell nadir between 200 and 500
Other: blood sampling
During a routine consultation, a specific 40 mL blood sample will be collected for the study.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
In vivo evaluation of the formation of platelet-PBMC conjugates enriched in latent or active reservoirs and of their transcriptional competence
Time Frame: at enrollment

In vivo evaluation of the formation of platelet-PBMC conjugates enriched in latent or active reservoirs, correlated with immune status through the following parameters:

Frequency of CD4+ T lymphocytes associated with platelets and/or platelet components, Frequency of platelet-associated CD4+ T cells carrying HIV RNA, and ex vivo HIV reactivation; Number of integrated HIV provirus copies in CD4+ T cells associated or not with platelets.

Monitoring of the transcriptional competence of platelet-associated reservoirs ex vivo, and the capacity of platelets to reactivate these reservoirs (latency reversal) in vitro based on the following criterion:

Frequency of J-Lat GFP+ cells (indicating a reactivated provirus in this reporter cell) after coculture with platelets obtained from individuals of the different experimental groups.
at enrollment

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Tourcoing Hospital

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Olivier Robineau, MD, PhD, Centre Hospitalier de Tourcoing

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

April 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

October 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

October 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 29, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 29, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

August 4, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 29, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CHT/URC/2023/10

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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