Register now for the CFAR Retreat on September 19th!

The 20th Annual Duke Center for AIDS Research Fall Scientific Retreat will be held on Thursday, September 19th, 2024 in the Great Hall of the Trent Semans Center. The CFAR retreat brings together our interdisciplinary group of researchers in one room for the day to connect and share updates. We will also have community members from the D3C who will be in the audience. Registration is free.

View the draft agenda and be sure to register for the event.

News from the CFAR

Congratulations to the 2024 CFAR Pilot Awardees!

The CFAR Developmental Core provides resources and services to CFAR members to enhance career development in basic, clinical, or social and behavioral sciences. Resources and services provided by the Developmental Core include funding for small grants to assist CFAR members in the generation of preliminary data to support grant proposals submitted to external funding agencies. The CFAR Developmental Core Pilot Awards support scientific studies for 1 year.



This year, the Duke CFAR awarded two Standard grant awards of $100,000 and two Focused grant awards of $60,000. Congratulations to the grant recipients!

Julian Hertz, MD, MSc - Cardiovascular Risk Among Tanzanian Adults with HIV (Standard)

People with HIV (PWH) have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but cardiovascular preventative care is not currently part of routine HIV care in sub-Saharan Africa. This study will explore the current landscape of cardiovascular preventative care among PWH in Tanzania and determine the barriers to cardiovascular risk management in this population. The results of this study will inform future efforts to improve cardiovascular preventative care among PWH in resource-limited settings.

Jackie Hodges, MD, MPH - Integrating PrEP into mobile addiction and primary care services (Standard)

This study will contribute to prevention of future HIV infections among a population at elevated risk due to injection or sexual behavior. We will provide PrEP for HIV prevention in a low-barrier community setting – a mobile medical unit co-located with a syringe services program. Evidence generated by the study will inform the implementation of similar efforts in the future, in addition to providing preliminary evidence for future research into the acceptability and feasibility of this approach to increasing PrEP uptake and retention.

Asiya Gusa, PhD – Developing a reporter system to study stress-activation of retroelements during HIV/Cryptococcus co-infection of macrophages (Focused)

The pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans is a leading cause of infectious morbidity and mortality for individuals co-infected with HIV-1, accounting for up to 20% of AIDS-related deaths. Despite this association, few studies have examined interactions and signaling between the fungus and the virus, even though they infect the same host immune defense cells during infection. By developing a cellular model to study HIV and Cryptococcus co-infection, we can begin to investigate how these interactions impact disease progression and patient outcomes in order to design better therapeutic interventions.



Philippe Rascle, PhD - Multi-omic analysis of MHC-E-dependent SIV-specific memory NK cells in SIV infected rhesus macaques to develop new HIV cure strategy (Focused)

The NK cell is considered a significant candidate as a key role player in the development of an HIV cure. A rare subset of NK cells, known as antigen-specific memory NK cells, exhibit strong antiviral activity in HIV/SIV infection. Given that the SIV-infected non-human primate (NHP) model closely resembles the pathophysiology of HIV-infected humans, the in vitro expansion of single-NK cell clones from NHP provides an efficient methodology to develop and study antigen-specific NK cell populations. This contributes significantly to progress and establishes a strong foundation for the development of new clinical trials, such as cell therapy, vaccine design, and other NK-cell-based immunotherapies.

Read this announcement on the CFAR website.

2024 Quantitative Methods for HIV Researchers Summer Interns Share Their Thoughts

As part of a five-year NIAID R25 research education grant to deliver training in quantitative methods for HIV/AIDS research, the Quantitative Methods for HIV Researchers Summer Internship program provides mentoring and research experiences in HIV/AIDS for Masters or PhD students from quantitative disciplines such as statistics, biostatistics, data science, mathematics, computer science, and engineering. The internship runs for 12 weeks and is designed to engage quantitative trainees in real-world HIV/AIDS research, providing the opportunity to conduct research in leading HIV/AIDS laboratories, co-mentored by both an HIV/AIDS researcher and quantitative science faculty. This summer, ten interns were paired with Duke CFAR PIs and Quantitative Mentors to support an ongoing research project.

We asked interns to share their experiences and reflect on the summer. Read below for a sampling of their responses.

What project did you work on?

My project focuses on the question "If non-HIV risk factor can be used as a proxy measure of HIV risk”. I utilized network analysis to check the relationship/edges among nodes/ variables by group of risk factors, to determine if they are strongly correlated with the group of HIV risk or not. 

What was your favorite thing about the summer? 

This summer expanded my knowledge on reproducibility, writing of codes, gits and how to arrange my codes before presenting. It also built my confidence about presenting in the United States as an international student. 

What project did you work on?

Utilize immunological labs (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio) from complete blood count reports to determine how people living with HIV/AIDS are affected by climate change, social determinants of health, and chronic inflammation.

What were your training goals coming into the summer program?

To become more confident in myself as a researcher, develop presentation skills, learn as much as I could about statistics, and experience biostatistics to see if I wanted to pursue it further.

What project did you work on?

My project aimed to develop a predictive model to identify patients at the highest risk of opportunistic infection with fungal or mycobacterial disease in Vietnam. I compared six different machine learning models to identify an optimal model that could reduce screening expenditures and mortality in people with advanced HIV disease.

What was your favorite part of the summer internship?

My favorite part of the summer internship was hearing from the guest speakers about their experience and work with HIV/AIDS.

What project did you work on?

Exploring social determinants of HIV status and viral load suppression among transgender women in South Africa, using quantitative methods and sample survey data.

What do you hope to do in the future?

After this summer internship, I became very interested in HIV/AIDS research. I will seek more future opportunities related to HIV/AIDS epidemiological study and clinical trials where my statistical expertise can be applied to. 

What project did you work on?

I worked with Dr. Katz on mathematically modeling drug delivery for anti-HIV drugs. We simulated long-term PrEP use via intravaginal delivery devices as an alternative to short-term oral PrEP.

What was your favorite part of the summer internship?

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting with my PI to talk about the biological, clinical and mathematical aspects of HIV/AIDS research. I also liked learning about the other interns’ work during our weekly presentations.

Stay tuned for more intern profiles in the next newsletter!

Please share: Department of Population Health Sciences faculty position in Implementation Science

Please see the following job listing for Department of Population Health Sciences (Assistant or Associate Professor), Implementation Science.

The Department of Population Health Sciences (DPHS) at Duke University School of Medicine invites applications and nominations for regular-rank faculty positions at the Assistant or Associate level. We invite applications from candidates in health services research, health policy, improvement science, delivery science, public health, or related social science fields. Successful candidates will have track records of creativity and productivity, a desire to join our exciting, collaborative, and growing community, and a commitment to integrity, authenticity, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Access the job listing.

DGHI Event - The Fight to End HIV: Are We Losing Momentum?

Tuesday, September 17, 2024 | 12-1pm ET |Trent Hall Room 040 & Zoom

Despite the remarkable strides made in HIV prevention and treatment over the past 40 years, a decline in international funding and political commitment is threatening to stall progress in the global HIV response. With an estimated 1.3 million people newly infected with HIV each year, the United Nations’ ambitious goals to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 appear uncertain, and the disease continues to mount enormous costs to health, economic security and social structures.

This Think Global panel will examine the current state of the HIV response from multiple perspectives, including persistent challenges to HIV prevention, funding and policy gaps, and the impact of stigma and discrimination. The panel will also address the barriers low- and middle-income countries continue to face in accessing the promising innovations in HIV prevention and treatment and, as well as the structural inequalities that undermine an equitable HIV response in the U.S. and globally. Organized by DGHI director Chris Beyrer and inaugural Hock Fellow Jirair Ratevosian, the event will reconsider the priorities for HIV research, policy and care that are needed to help reignite progress in the global efforts to end HIV/AIDS.

Speakers

Chris Beyrer, MD, MPH, an internationally recognized epidemiologist who has worked on the front lines of HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 treatment and research, became director of the Duke Global Health Institute in August 2022. Beyrer has led collaborative research on HIV epidemiology, prevention and treatment in Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Eastern Europe and Central Asia for more than 30 years. He is past president of the International AIDS Society, the world’s largest body of HIV professionals, and currently serves as an advisor to the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the HIV Vaccine Trials Network, the World Health Organization, and Physicians for Human Rights. The author of over 400 scientific papers, he was named in 2022 to the annual list of the world’s most cited scientists. 

Dorothy Dow, MD, MSc, is a physician-scientist whose research focuses on prevention and treatment of HIV in pediatric populations including prevention of mother-to-child transmission and adolescent and young adult populations. Her current projects target the intersection of HIV treatment adherence and mental health. She is co-director of the Duke Center For AIDS Research Clinical Core, member of the Adolescent HIV Prevention and Treatment Implementation Science Alliance (called AHISA), co-developer of Sauti ya Vijana (SYV-The Voice of Youth), a peer-led, group based mental health intervention for YLWH in Tanzania, and co-chair of IMPAACT 2016, Evaluating a Group-Based Intervention to Improve Mental Health and ART Adherence Among Youth Living with HIV in Low Resource Settings.

Emily Gibbons, MPP, is the senior director of international government affairs and policy at Gilead Sciences with over 20 years of experience in global health policymaking on Capitol Hill, the U.S. Department of State, and the private sector. Gibbons is a strategic professional with expertise in public health, pharmaceuticals, public affairs, policy analysis, and partnership development with governments, multilateral organizations and NGOs. She has extensive experience in negotiating policy related to appropriations and authorizing legislation.

Jirair Ratevosian, DrPH, is a senior global health security and development leader with over 20 years of experience in public service, non-profit, private sector and diplomacy. His extensive expertise in forging partnerships with governments and international organizations, drafting legislation, and developing political coalitions with diverse stakeholders have advanced evidence-based policies for minority communities, increased global health financing, and advanced solution to solve complex global challenges. In 2018, Jirair was selected as a “40 under 40 Health Leader” for his achievements to tackle health disparities in the United States, and was one of 50 LGBTQIA+ experts in U.S. national security and foreign policy recognized by “Out in National Security” in 2021. 

This is a hybrid event with both in-person and remote attendance options. Attendance in person is encouraged. Lunch will be available. 

Register for the Zoom event.

CFAR-Wide Webinar on the CFAR Adelante Research Capacity Program

Monday, September 23, 2024 | 3:30 - 4:30pm ET | Zoom

The CFAR wide webinar series for the fall is beginning with an update from the CFAR Adelante Research Capacity Program: Community/Academic Partnerships to Reduce HIV-related Health Disparities for Latinx Communities in the U.S.

Register for the webinar.

JHU CFAR Symposium: Mpox - What Have We Learned & How Do We Prepare for the Future?

Thursday, September 26, 2024 | 8:45am - 1:00pm ET | Zoom

The Johns Hopkins Center for AIDS Research Presents:

 Mpox Symposium

“What Have We Learned & How Do We Better Prepare for the Future?”

Moderators

Kelly Gebo, MD, MPH & Bhakti Hansoti, MBCHB, PhD, MPH

Johns Hopkins University

Speakers

Mohammed Lamorde, FRCP, PhD

Resolve to Save Lives, Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University 

Kampala, Uganda 

Ian Spicknall, PhD, MPH 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of STD Prevention 

Marchaun Bassett

Patient Perspective  

Chloe Orkin, MBBCH, MSc Infectious Disease LSHTM FRCP 

Professor of Infection and Inequities, SHARE Collaborative Director 

Dean for Healthcare Transformation, Faculty of Medicine 

Queen Mary University of London

Panelists

David Blyth, MD 

Director, Infectious Disease Epidemiology & Outbreak Response Bureau

Maryland Dept. of Health 

Matthew Hamill, MBCHB, PhD, MPH 

Assistant Professor, Infectious Disease, SOM, JHU

Clinical Chief for STD, Baltimore City Health Department

Joyce Jones, MD, MS 

Assistant Professor, Infectious Diseases, SOM, JHU

Crystal Watson, DrPH, MPH 

Associate Professor, Environmental Health and Engineering, JHU BSPH

Register for the virtual portion of the event.

DGHI Event: Emerging Frontiers and New Innovations in HIV

Friday, October 4, 2024 | 9 - 10am ET | Washington, DC & Zoom

Register for the event.

Please share with colleagues - Applications due September 15th for the IDA Symposium & Flow Cytometry Workshop

African Flow Cytometry Workshop:

January 27-February 1, 2025 | Cape Town, South Africa

Infectious Diseases in Africa Symposium:

February 3-7, 2025 | Stellenbosch, South Africa

Information

• Interested individuals may apply to attend the IDA Symposium and/or the Flow Cytometry Workshop
• Applicants must be working in African countries to be eligible
• Participants will be selected based on the scientific merit of their submitted abstracts
• Selected participants will be awarded a full scholarship to attend (travel and accommodation)
• Selected participants are required to complete an Immunology Pre-Course on www.immunopaedia.org.za

Important Dates

• Abstract submission deadline: 15 September 2024
• Notification of awards: 15 October 2024
• Immunopaedia Pre-Course: 1 December 2024 – 21 January 2025
• Flow Cytometry Workshop: 27 January – 1 February 2025
• 12th IDA Symposium: 3 – 7 February 2025

Learn more and apply.

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