Linköping University Study Finds Lupus Medication Anifrolumab Restores Immune Function in Cells Infected with HIV

New research shows that the SLE medication anifrolumab can restore immune cell function in HIV cases by blocking chronic interferon overactivation.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 24, 2026, 5:19 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Linköping University

Addressing the Persistence of Chronic Immune Activation

While modern antiviral therapies are highly effective at suppressing HIV to undetectable levels, the virus often remains hidden in the body, causing the immune system to remain in a state of permanent "high alert." This chronic overactivation leads to premature aging of the immune system and leaves patients vulnerable to secondary health complications. Researchers at Linköping University, publishing in the journal PLOS Pathogens, have identified the specific mechanism behind this dysfunction. They discovered that HIV hijacks the body’s natural defense system, specifically type I interferon signaling, to drive a cycle of inflammation that eventually exhausts critical immune cells.

The Role of Type I Interferon in Viral Defense

In a healthy individual, type I interferon acts as the first line of defense against viral infection, triggering the broader immune system to respond before receding once the threat is neutralized. However, in the case of HIV, this protein remains active even when the virus is medically controlled. Postdoctoral fellow Cecilia Svanberg explained that while interferon provides essential protection during the initial stage of infection, its chronic activation eventually facilitates the spread of the virus by overworking the body's defenses. This persistent state of alarm causes essential cells, such as dendritic cells and T cells, to become "exhausted" and lose their effectiveness.

Restoring Cellular Function Through Targeted Blocking

The Linköping team conducted experiments on human cells to observe the exact moment this chronic activation occurs. They found that the damaging interferon signaling spikes specifically when dendritic cells and T cells come into direct contact with one another. By introducing anifrolumab—a medication currently FDA-approved to treat the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)—the researchers were able to block this signal. According to Svanberg, the treatment perfectly restored the function of the immune cells, making the cellular environment appear as though the HIV infection were not present at all.