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December 8, 2009
World AIDS Day Events
Scientific Collaboration at WRAIR
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) and MHRP hosted an event to highlight recent achievements in HIV research and share program successes from the PEPFAR program in Kenya. Dr. Merlin Robb, MHRP clinical deputy director, provided a Phase III HIV vaccine trial update, before turning the stage over to Keynote Speaker Dr. David Margolis,...
December 3, 2009
Ugandan Youth Create Murals to Help Promote HIV Prevention
The Kayunga Youth Center helped design murals that are helping with HIV prevention in their community in rural Uganda. The Youth Center is part of the PEPFAR program at MHRP's Uganda site, known locally as the Makerere University Walter Reed Project. The images used on the murals seem to have a positive effect on other youth in the community, effectively conveying key messages in HIV...
November 16, 2009
MHRP Researcher Receives HIV Prevention Research Advocacy Fellowship
MHRP’s Jauhara Nanyondo, from the Makerere University Walter Reed Program in Uganda, was among ten individuals selected by the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) to receive a 12-month Research Advocacy Fellowship.
During her fellowship, Jauhara will develop a standard training curriculum on HIV vaccine research for the media in Uganda. The media can be a strong advocacy...
November 6, 2009
Interview with Ambassador Goosby, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator
What has the United States done to combat global HIV/AIDS since PEPFAR’s launch in 2003?
As the largest commitment in history by any nation to combat a single disease, providing more than $25 billion to the fight against global AIDS, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has had numerous achievements in the past six years. For instance, today, an estimated four...
November 4, 2009
AIDS Vaccine Conference 2009
AIDS Vaccine 2009 brought together more than 1,000 HIV research scientists, clinicians, epidemiologists and public health experts to share information and address the challenges and opportunities in the field of HIV vaccine development.
The HIV vaccine trial in Thailand, which was led by MHRP, was a major focus at the conference. Dr. Supachai, the principal investigator, and COL Nelson...
November 2, 2009
Tanzania President Dedicates Mobile Diagnostic Lab
President of Tanzania H.E Jakaya Kikwete inaugurated the Mobile Diagnostic Laboratory today, a MHRP collaboration, which will support TB/HIV co-diagnosis at the Ilembo Health Center in Mbeya Rural District.
The lab is an outstanding tool and resource for providing effective treatment. In 24 hours, the lab can diagnose and stage several HIV and TB cases. This helps eliminate concerns...
September 24, 2009
US Army Announces Results of the Landmark RV144 Trial
A Phase III clinical trial involving more than 16,00 adult volunteers in Thailand has demonstrated that an investigational HIV vaccine regimen was safe and modestly effective in preventing HIV infection. According to final results released by the trial sponsor, the U.S. Army Surgeon General, the prime boost combination of ALVAC® HIV and AIDSVAX® B/E lowered the r ate of HIV infection by 21.2%...
September 18, 2009
MHRP Community Engagement Meeting held in Uganda
The inaugural MHRP PEPFAR community engagement meeting was held July 8-10, 2009 in Kampala, Uganda. Representatives from all four MHRP PEPFAR teams came together to discuss country programs and address a wide range of shared activities, including: community linkages, orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) services, nutrition programming, male circumcision, Lost-to-Follow-Up (LTFU) and Voluntary...
September 16, 2009
Two New Neutralizing Antibodies Discovered
HIV researchers, using new methods developed by two biotechnology companies, discovered two new antibodies with the ability to neutralize many strains of HIV. They published their work in Science during the first week of September.
The achievement was spearheaded by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative(IAVI), a global nonprofit group that is coordinating and funding vaccine-...
September 16, 2009
Human Genetic Studies Underscore Similarities Among East African Populations
The last decade has witnessed an explosion of human genetic analyses in different world populations, highlighting similarities and differences among studied groups in diverse geographic areas. Some of the largest genetic differences are located in genes that have the potential of influencing susceptibility to infectious diseases. Of special interest to HIV vaccine developers are sub-Saharan...