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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...
August 31, 2009
Researchers Induce HIV-neutralizing Antibodies by Immunization that Recognize both HIV-1 Envelope Protein and Lipids
For the first time, researchers have experimentally induced antibodies that neutralize HIV-1 and simultaneously recognize both HIV-1 envelope protein and lipids. The results were reported by U.S. Military HIV Research Program (MHRP) researchers on August 25th in the online version of AIDS, the official journal of the International AIDS Society.
The lead investigators, Dr. Gary Matyas...
August 27, 2009
Mobile Diagnostic Lab May Help Combat TB and HIV in Tanzania
The Mbeya Medical Research Programme, a partner of Walter Reed Program-Tanzania and U.S. Military HIV Research Program (MHRP), recently began a pilot study to determine the feasibility of implementing a mobile diagnostic and training center to fight tuberculosis and HIV in Tanzania. The initiative may help enhance collaborative HIV/TB research and activities in the Mbeya region.
The...
August 20, 2009
MHRP Partners with Tanzanian People's Defense Forces to Open HIV Counseling and Testing Center
On August 7, 2009, a HIV Counseling and Testing Center at the Mbalizi Tanzania People’s Defense Forces Hospital in Mbeya officially opened after undergoing renovations coordinated by MHRP and PharmAccess International.
This is part of the ongoing effort by the Walter Reed Program-Tanzania to renovate more than ten Tanzanian People’s Defense Forces (TPDF) health centers around the...
August 12, 2009
Political Engagement: Tanzania
Tiffany Hamm, Ph.D., Chief, Department of International HIV Prevention, Care, and Treatment, was part of a U.S. government delegation that met with the President of Tanzania H.E Jakaya Kikwete on Thursday August 6, 2009 in Dar es Salaam to discuss the U.S. governments efforts under PEPFAR in Tanzania.
Dr. Hamm said, “The visit emphasized the continued commitment of the U.S. Department...
August 5, 2009
Socioeconomic Impacts of Antiretroviral Therapy and Gender
The MHRP Kenya team has been involved in a four-year prospective cohort study in collaboration with the Kenya Medical Research Institute and Boston University. The program evaluates the impact of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) on labor productivity in tea plantation workers.
They recently published a paper on the socio-economic impacts of antiretroviral therapy. This longitudinal...
July 10, 2009
Ugandan Medical Male Circumcision Program Launched to Prevent HIV Transmission
Uganda was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to register a drop in adult national prevalence in HIV. The epidemic, however, remains serious as approximately one million Ugandans are HIV positive. Experts in the field have begun promoting a low cost and powerful weapon against new HIV infections: voluntary medical male circumcision.
Three trials in Kenya, Uganda and South Africa...