Impact of Early Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation on HIV-Specific CD4 and CD8 T Cell Function in Perinatally Infected Children

14 children vertically HIV infected ART treated within 6 months of life (ET) and 6 children vertically HIV infected ART treated after 12 months of life were studied to understand the effect of early ART initiation on HIV specific CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells functionalities. Additionally, RNAseq on unstimulated PBMC was performed to also evaluate the impact of early ART on the immune transcriptome. RNA extracted from PBMC from early (<6months), late (>12months) ART treated HIV perinatally infected individuals and 6 healthy individuals was sequenced and compared to identify differences in their background transcriptome