Reminder: CFAR Pilot Award deadline is May 1st!

Applications are due May 1st. See the CFAR website for more details.

News from the CFAR

Dean Vincent Guilamo-Ramos writes opinion piece in The Hill: Stigma Keeps US Youth at High Risk for HIV/AIDS

"If I asked you to tell me which age group has one of the highest incidences of HIV, I’m willing to wager that you wouldn’t say 13- to 24-year-olds. And, yet, these young people represent 20 percent of new HIV diagnoses, the second-highest rate of new cases, behind only 25- to 34-year-olds."

In an opinion piece for The Hill published on National Youth HIV and AIDS Awareness Day on April 10th, Dean of the Duke University School of Nursing Vincent Guilamo-Ramos draws attention to two recent court decision that impact access to HIV prevention drugs and testing, and which perpetuate stigmatization and harm to people living with HIV.

Dean Ramos discusses the harm of stigma around HIV and sexual behaviors, and the specific impact is has on youth. Providing examples, including the work of the Center for Latino Adolescent and Family Health (CLAFH) at the Duke University School of Nursing and the NO FEARS (Nurturing Ourselves: Family Education and Activities to Reduce Stigma) program, Dean Ramos urges policymakers and practitioners to:

• Adopt messaging and outreach specifically for young people at risk for HIV. 
• Combat HIV stigma. 
• Add HIV testing to the regimen of school health screenings. 
• Confront enduring institutional racism and implicit bias. 
• Address the social structures that create and exacerbate HIV inequities. 

Dean Ramos ends with an important message for all: "Taking on these factors is critical to keeping young people safe and healthy by reducing the spread of HIV. Let this National Youth HIV and AIDS Awareness Day be the catalyst for creating interventions that let youth grow up without HIV. We must not let our country’s youth down."

Read the full article.

Join the Johns Hopkins CFAR International Adolescent and Young Adult SWG

The Johns Hopkins CFAR Adolescent and Young Adult Scientific Working Group (SWG) has an “International Arm” which convenes on the second Thursday of the month from 10:30 – 11:30 Eastern Time. As this is a narrowly focused area of research, they would love having folks outside of Hopkins participate. If anyone is interested in attending, please send an e-mail to Kate Rucinski at rucinski@jhu.edu to be added to our listserv.

The aims of the group are below:

CFAR Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) International Working Group Objectives

1. To bring together internationally focused AYA HIV researchers to identify gaps in the field and to develop innovative and collaborative research projects to address these gaps through:

• AYA-focused grant proposals
• Manuscripts

2. To foster relationships and mentorship between senior AYA HIV research leaders in the field and junior/early career faculty, postdoctoral fellows, students, and research staff

• Work in progress presentations by junior/early career faculty, postdoctoral fellows, students, and research staff

3. To facilitate cross-institutional networking opportunities for meaningful engagement related to AYA HIV internationally focused research

• Presentations by external speakers at monthly group meetings

Submit an abstract for the International Union of Immunological Societies Congress by May 2nd

November 27 - December 2, 2023 | Cape Town, South Africa

Please remember the 2023 International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS) Congress, taking place from November 27th to December 2nd in Cape Town, South Africa. This congress is the world's leading event in the field of immunology, covering all topics related to this exciting and rapidly evolving field.

At IUIS 2023, you will have the opportunity to engage with leading immunologists from around the world, participate in thought-provoking sessions and workshops, and share your research with a diverse and engaged audience. The congress will feature cutting-edge presentations on topics such as immunotherapy, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, and much more.

Abstract submissions for the IUIS 2023 Congress are closing soon on May 2nd, 2023. This is your chance to showcase your research and contribute to the discussion on the latest developments in the field of immunology. Early bird registration is also available until August 30th, 2023, so be sure to register early to take advantage of discounted rates.

Whether you're an established researcher or a student just starting your career, IUIS 2023 offers a unique opportunity to learn from and network with experts in the field of immunology. Join us in Cape Town, South Africa, and be part of this exciting event!

To submit an abstract and register, please visit our website at www.iuis2023.org.

Abstract submission fee is waived for everyone in Africa and LMICs and there are scholarships available.

Learn more and register.

Submit a late-breaker abstract for IAS 2023 by May 10th & register by May 3rd

July 23 - 26, 2023 | Brisbane, Australia & Virtual

Submissions for late-breaker abstracts to IAS 2023, the 12th IAS Conference on HIV Science, are now open. This is an opportunity to showcase your research at the world’s most influential meeting on HIV research. 

Due to the rescheduling of HIVR4P 2023, the 5th HIV Research for Prevention Conference, researchers who had planned to submit abstracts to HIVR4P can also submit them to IAS 2023 during the late-breaker submission period. 

Late-breaker abstract submissions close on Wednesday, 10 May, at 23:59 CEST.

Late-breaker submissions must include data of unquestioned significance that meet a high threshold of scientific merit. They can be presented orally or as posters. All late-breaker abstracts selected for oral presentation will be published as a supplement of the Journal of the International AIDS Society. 

Late breakers will be considered in one of the following tracks: 

• Track A: Basic science 
• Track B: Clinical science 
• Track C: Prevention science 
• Track D: Social and behavioural sciences 
• Track E: Implementation science, economics, systems and synergies 

Standard registration closes on May 3, 2023.

Learn more, submit an abstract, and register.

Register for the CFAR Symposium on Statistics and Data Science in HIV

June 5 & 6, 2023 | Providence, Rhode Island

Research in HIV continues to generate highly complex data structures. Examples include genomic sequences (both host and virus); individual medical records, which include such complications as irregular measurement, missing data, and unstructured text fields; medical images; social network data; and aggregated ‘super cohorts’ such as those coordinated by the IeDEA and CNICS consortia. Even the design and analysis of randomized trials require innovative techniques to enable optimal use of data that can be expensive and labor-intensive to collect.

This symposium is designed to bring together statistical and data science researchers either working directly in the area of HIV or whose work has direct relevance to problems and data structures encountered in HIV research. We are particularly interested in engaging data science researchers in fields such as computer science, engineering, and applied mathematics, whose work in related areas might lead to innovative new approaches.

Participants will gather for focused activities related to dissemination of new methods, formation of new collaborations, extended discussion to identify new challenges, and engagement of junior investigators. Finally, owing to investments by NIH and other funding agencies, the number of HIV-focused statisticians and data scientists from low- and middle-income countries is growing. The symposium also is designed to promote continued engagement between statistical scientists from the ‘global north’ and ‘global south’.



• The symposium will feature invited talks and panels focused on HIV data science research and training.
• All sessions will be non-concurrent.
• Attendees are invited to present posters on development or application of statistical or data science methods that are relevant to HIV research
• Junior researchers are especially encouraged to attend, and can apply for funding to partially defray the cost of travel.
• Registration is Free

Please note that junior researchers are encouraged to attend and can apply for funding to partially defray the cost of travel.

Learn more and register.

Climate Change & Immune Health Mini-Symposium

Monday, June 5, 2023 | 12:30-6pm | Penn Pavilion

Save the date for the upcoming Climate Change and Immune Health Mini-Symposium, hosted by the Duke Center for Human Systems Immunology at Penn Pavilion on Monday, June 5th. This event will serve as an opportunity for the Duke community, and scientific community at large, to gather and present compelling data, as well as express our shared commitment to improving Climate/Health outcomes.

You can expect additional information and registration in the coming weeks. Please share widely and contact Griffin Woolley with any questions you may have.

Neonatal SHIV infection in rhesus macaques elicited heterologous HIV-1-neutralizing antibodies.

Hora B, Li H, Shen X, Martin M, Chen Y, Berry M, Evangelous T, Macintyre AN, Arus-Altuz A, Wang S, Singh A, Zhao C, De Naeyer N, DeMarco T, Kuykendall C, Gurley T, Saunders KO, Denny T, Moody MA, Misamore J, Lewis MG, Wiehe K, Cain DW, Montefiori DC, Shaw GM, Williams WB.

Cell Rep. 2023 Mar 28;42(3):112255. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112255. Epub 2023 Mar 14.

A tool for evaluating heterogeneity in avidity of polyclonal antibodies.

Li K, Dodds M, Spreng RL, Abraha M, Huntwork RHC, Dahora LC, Nyanhete T, Dutta S, Wille-Reece U, Jongert E, Ewer KJ, Hill AVS, Jin C, Hill J, Pollard AJ, Munir Alam S, Tomaras GD, Dennison SM.

Front Immunol. 2023 Feb 16;14:1049673. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1049673. eCollection 2023.

A scoping review of counseling interventions for suicide prevention in Africa: Few studies address this life-saving aspect of mental health treatment.

Knettel BA, Knippler E, Martinez A, Sardana S, Agor D, Mwobobia J, Ledbetter L, Amiri I, Relf MV, Goldston DB.

J Affect Disord. 2023 May 1;328:183-190. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.02.038. Epub 2023 Feb 16.

Trivalent mosaic or consensus HIV immunogens prime humoral and broader cellular immune responses in adults.

Cohen KW, Fiore-Gartland A, Walsh SR, Yusim K, Frahm N, Elizaga ML, Maenza J, Scott H, Mayer KH, Goepfert PA, Edupuganti S, Pantaleo G, Hutter J, Morris DE, De Rosa SC, Geraghty DE, Robb ML, Michael NL, Fischer W, Giorgi EE, Malhi H, Pensiero MN, Ferrari G, Tomaras GD, Montefiori DC, Gilbert PB, McElrath MJ, Haynes BF, Korber BT, Baden LR; NIAID HVTN 106 Study Group.

J Clin Invest. 2023 Feb 15;133(4):e163338. doi: 10.1172/JCI163338.

PMID: 36787249 Free PMC article. Clinical Trial.

Cost-effectiveness of broadly neutralizing antibody prophylaxis for HIV-exposed infants in sub-Saharan African settings.

Dugdale CM, Ufio O, Alba C, Permar SR, Stranix-Chibanda L, Cunningham CK, Fouda GG, Myer L, Weinstein MC, Leroy V, McFarland EJ, Freedberg KA, Ciaranello AL.

J Int AIDS Soc. 2023 Jan;26(1):e26052. doi: 10.1002/jia2.26052.

PMID: 36604316 Free PMC article.

Clustering Deviation Index (CDI): a robust and accurate internal measure for evaluating scRNA-seq data clustering.

Fang J, Chan C, Owzar K, Wang L, Qin D, Li QJ, Xie J.

Genome Biol. 2022 Dec 27;23(1):269. doi: 10.1186/s13059-022-02825-5.

PMID: 36575517 Free PMC article.

A simple model for viral decay dynamics and the distribution of infected cell life spans in SHIV-infected infant rhesus macaques.

Sass J, Awasthi A, Obregon-Perko V, McCarthy J, Lloyd AL, Chahroudi A, Permar S, Chan C.

Math Biosci. 2023 Feb;356:108958. doi: 10.1016/j.mbs.2022.108958. Epub 2022 Dec 22.

Recombinant Simian Varicella Virus-Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Vaccine Induces T and B Cell Functions and Provides Partial Protection against Repeated Mucosal SIV Challenges in Rhesus Macaques.

Pahar B, Gray W, Fahlberg M, Grasperge B, Hunter M, Das A, Mabee C, Aye PP, Schiro F, Hensley K, Ratnayake A, Goff K, LaBranche C, Shen X, Tomaras GD, DeMarco CT, Montefiori D, Kissinger P, Marx PA, Traina-Dorge V.

Viruses. 2022 Dec 17;14(12):2819. doi: 10.3390/v14122819.

Lessons Learned in Centering Youth Voices in HIV Prevention: The Adolescent Health Working Group.

Maragh-Bass AC, LeMasters K, Sanders T, Harding C, Dearing A, Purcell R, Mitchell JT, Stoner MC, Bhushan N, Walker M, Riggins L, Golin C, Pettifor A, Lightfoot A.

Prog Community Health Partnersh. 2022;16(4):551-561. doi: 10.1353/cpr.2022.0076.

Epigenetic silencing by the SMC5/6 complex mediates HIV-1 latency.

Irwan ID, Bogerd HP, Cullen BR.

Nat Microbiol. 2022 Dec;7(12):2101-2113. doi: 10.1038/s41564-022-01264-z. Epub 2022 Nov 14.

PMID: 36376394 Free PMC article.

Multi-trial analysis of HIV-1 envelope gp41-reactive antibodies among global recipients of candidate HIV-1 vaccines.

Mayer-Blackwell K, Johnson AM, Potchen N, Minot SS, Heptinstall J, Seaton K, Sawant S, Shen X, Tomaras GD, Fiore-Gartland A, Kublin JG.

Front Immunol. 2022 Oct 12;13:983313. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.983313. eCollection 2022.

Baseline host determinants of robust human HIV-1 vaccine-induced immune responses: A meta-analysis of 26 vaccine regimens.

Huang Y, Zhang Y, Seaton KE, De Rosa S, Heptinstall J, Carpp LN, Randhawa AK, McKinnon LR, McLaren P, Viegas E, Gray GE, Churchyard G, Buchbinder SP, Edupuganti S, Bekker LG, Keefer MC, Hosseinipour MC, Goepfert PA, Cohen KW, Williamson BD, McElrath MJ, Tomaras GD, Thakar J, Kobie JJ; NIAID HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) 073/South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative (SAAVI) 102, HVTN 086/SAAVI 103, HVTN 094, HVTN 097, HVTN 098, HVTN 100, HVTN 105, HVTN 111, and HVTN 205 Protocol Leadership Teams.

EBioMedicine. 2022 Oct;84:104271. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.104271. Epub 2022 Sep 27.

Self-assembling peptide nanofiber HIV vaccine elicits robust vaccine-induced antibody functions and modulates Fc glycosylation.

Chen JL, Fries CN, Berendam SJ, Rodgers NS, Roe EF, Wu Y, Li SH, Jain R, Watts B, Eudailey J, Barfield R, Chan C, Moody MA, Saunders KO, Pollara J, Permar SR, Collier JH, Fouda GG.

Sci Adv. 2022 Sep 23;8(38):eabq0273. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abq0273. Epub 2022 Sep 23.

Lower SARS-CoV-2-specific humoral immunity in people living with HIV-1 recovered from nonhospitalized COVID-19.

Schuster DJ, Karuna S, Brackett C, Wesley M, Li SS, Eisel N, Tenney D, Hilliard S, Yates NL, Heptinstall JR, Williams LD, Shen X, Rolfe R, Cabello R, Zhang L, Sawant S, Hu J, Randhawa AK, Hyrien O, Hural JA, Corey L, Frank I, Tomaras GD, Seaton KE; HVTN 405/HPTN 1901 Study Team.

JCI Insight. 2022 Nov 8;7(21):e158402. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.158402.

Development of a Human Immunodeficiency Virus Risk Prediction Model Using Electronic Health Record Data From an Academic Health System in the Southern United States.

Burns CM, Pung L, Witt D, Gao M, Sendak M, Balu S, Krakower D, Marcus JL, Okeke NL, Clement ME.

Clin Infect Dis. 2023 Jan 13;76(2):299-306. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac775.

Divergent preferences for enhanced HIV testing options among high-risk populations in northern Tanzania: a short report.

Ostermann J, Njau B, Hobbie AM, Mtuy TB, Masnick M, Brown DS, Mühlbacher AC, Thielman NM.

AIDS Care. 2022 Sep 5:1-9. doi: 10.1080/09540121.2022.2119471. Online ahead of print.

Neutralization titer biomarker for antibody-mediated prevention of HIV-1 acquisition.

Gilbert PB, Huang Y, deCamp AC, Karuna S, Zhang Y, Magaret CA, Giorgi EE, Korber B, Edlefsen PT, Rossenkhan R, Juraska M, Rudnicki E, Kochar N, Huang Y, Carpp LN, Barouch DH, Mkhize NN, Hermanus T, Kgagudi P, Bekker V, Kaldine H, Mapengo RE, Eaton A, Domin E, West C, Feng W, Tang H, Seaton KE, Heptinstall J, Brackett C, Chiong K, Tomaras GD, Andrew P, Mayer BT, Reeves DB, Sobieszczyk ME, Garrett N, Sanchez J, Gay C, Makhema J, Williamson C, Mullins JI, Hural J, Cohen MS, Corey L, Montefiori DC, Morris L.

Nat Med. 2022 Sep;28(9):1924-1932. doi: 10.1038/s41591-022-01953-6. Epub 2022 Aug 22.

Early and Long-Term HIV-1 Immunogenicity Induced in Macaques by the Combined Administration of DNA, NYVAC and Env Protein-Based Vaccine Candidates: The AUP512 Study.

Perdiguero B, Asbach B, Gómez CE, Köstler J, Barnett SW, Koutsoukos M, Weiss DE, Cristillo AD, Foulds KE, Roederer M, Montefiori DC, Yates NL, Ferrari G, Shen X, Sawant S, Tomaras GD, Sato A, Fulp WJ, Gottardo R, Ding S, Heeney JL, Pantaleo G, Esteban M, Wagner R.

Front Immunol. 2022 Jul 22;13:939627. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.939627. eCollection 2022.

Don't see your paper listed? Make sure your publication is linked to the CFAR grant for funding. Visit the CFAR website for example text to use when acknowledging the CFAR and assistance by its Cores in your publications, abstracts, grant proposals, and presentations.

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