Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40201178›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in immunology2025

AI discovery of TLR agonist-driven phenotypes reveals unique features of peripheral cells from healthy donors and ART-suppressed people living with HIV.

Robert Were Omange, Samuel C Kim, Nikita S Kolhatkar, Tempest Plott, Will Van Trump, Kenneth Zhang, Hope O'Donnell, Daniel Chen, Ahmed Hosny, Michael Wiest and 7 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in immunology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Robert Were Omange *Biomarker Sciences and Diagnostics, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Foster City, CA, United States.
Samuel C Kim *Biomarker Sciences and Diagnostics, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Foster City, CA, United States.
Nikita S Kolhatkar *Biomarker Sciences and Diagnostics, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Foster City, CA, United States.
Tempest PlottSpring Science, San Carlos, CA, United States.
Will Van TrumpSpring Science, San Carlos, CA, United States.
Kenneth ZhangSpring Science, San Carlos, CA, United States.
Hope O'DonnellSpring Science, San Carlos, CA, United States.
Daniel ChenSpring Science, San Carlos, CA, United States.
Ahmed HosnySpring Science, San Carlos, CA, United States.
Michael WiestSpring Science, San Carlos, CA, United States.
Zach BarrySpring Science, San Carlos, CA, United States.
Elisa Cambronero AddiegoSpring Science, San Carlos, CA, United States.
Meron MengistuBiomarker Sciences and Diagnostics, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Foster City, CA, United States.
Pamela M OdorizziBiomarker Sciences and Diagnostics, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Foster City, CA, United States.
Yanhui CaiBiomarker Sciences and Diagnostics, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Foster City, CA, United States.
Rachel JacobsonSpring Science, San Carlos, CA, United States.
Jeffrey J WallinBiomarker Sciences and Diagnostics, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Foster City, CA, United States.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Selective and potent Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists are currently under evaluation in preclinical models and clinical studies to understand how the innate immune system can be harnessed for therapeutic potential. These molecules are designed to modulate innate and adaptive immune responses, making them promising therapeutic candidates for treating diseases such as cancer or chronic viral infections. Much is known about the expression and signaling of TLRs which varies based on cell type, cellular localization, and tissue distribution. However, the downstream effects of different TLR agonists on cellular populations and phenotypes are not well understood. This study aimed to investigate the impact of TLR pathway stimulation on peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures from people living with HIV (PLWH) and healthy donors. Methods: The effects of TLR4, TLR7, TLR7/8, TLR8 and TLR9 agonists were evaluated on cytokine production, cell population frequencies, and morphological characteristics of PBMC cultures over time. Changes in the proportions of different cell populations in blood and morphological features were assessed using high-content imaging and analyzed using an AI-driven approach. Results: TLR4 and TLR8 agonists promoted a compositional shift and accumulation of small round (lymphocyte-like) PBMCs, whereas TLR9 agonists led to an accumulation of large round (myeloid-like) PBMCs. A related increase was observed in markers of cell death, most prominently with TLR4 and TLR8 agonists. All TLR agonists were shown to promote some features associated with cellular migration. Furthermore, a comparison of TLR agonist responses in healthy and HIV-positive PBMCs revealed pronounced differences in cytokine/chemokine responses and morphological cellular features. Most notably, higher actin contraction and nuclear fragmentation was observed in response to TLR4, TLR7, TLR7/8 and TLR9 agonists for antiretroviral therapy (ART)-suppressed PLWH versus healthy PBMCs. Conclusions: These data suggest that machine learning, combined with cell imaging and cytokine quantification, can be used to better understand the cytological and soluble immune responses following treatments with immunomodulatory agents

Indexed as

HIV InfectionsLeukocytes, MononuclearToll-Like ReceptorsAdultCells, CulturedCytokinesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPhenotypeCytokinesToll-Like ReceptorsAIhigh content imagingHIVMLTLR

Identifiers

PMID40201178
PMCPMC11975909

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.