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September 24, 2015
Future of HIV Cure Research Points to Combination Approach
The next five years of HIV research should shift gears from the classic single-therapy development model to moving directly from in vitro studies to combination therapy trials, authors argue in a new paper published online today.
The opinion piece—co-authored Dr. Francoise Barré-Sinoussi of the Institut Pasteur who, together with Dr. Luc Montagnier, was awarded the Nobel Prize for...
September 4, 2015
New findings provide insight into HIV epidemic in the U.S. Army
Results of a recently initiated comprehensive HIV characterization program helps paint a detailed portrait of the HIV epidemic within the U.S. Army. The results of the study, based on data collected since the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) in 2011, were published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. The analysis was conducted by the U.S. Military HIV Research Program...
August 31, 2015
Infection with multiple HIV-1 variants leads to poorer clinical outcomes
HIV-1 infection with multiple founder variants points to poorer clinical outcomes than infection with a single variant, according to a paper published today in the journal Nature Medicine.
In the study researchers analyzed large sample sets from two important HIV vaccine efficacy trials—the Step HIV vaccine clinical trial (HVTN 502) and RV144, the landmark vaccine clinical trial...
August 24, 2015
New Ebola vaccine study begins in Nigeria
The vaccine used in the study (RV429) is the monovalent chimpanzee adenovirus Type 3 (ChAd3) candidate developed at the NIAID and being developed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the study sponsor. First vaccinations began on 21 August.
Since 2005, MHRP’s program in Nigeria—called the Walter Reed Program-Nigeria—has been working closely with the Nigerian Ministries of Defence and Health to...
August 19, 2015
MHRP study indicates increase in HIV subtypes in Kenya
Recent analysis of data from Kenya shows a rise in both the number and complexity of inter-subtype recombinants of HIV-1, which could pose a significant challenge for vaccine development.
In a new paper published today in PLOS One, researchers led by MHRP analyzed the molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 subtypes within a tea plantation community cohort in Kenya.
In June 2003, MHRP...
July 23, 2015
MHRP Welcomes Lydie Trautmann, Chief of Cellular Immunology
Dr. Trautmann joins the program after more than five years with the Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute of Florida where she collaborated on acute HIV infection research with Dr. Jintanat Ananworanich. She says she was inspired to join MHRP by the chance to work more closely with these unique acute cohorts.
“Human immunology is hard. You need to work with strong cohorts in order to...
July 17, 2015
Researchers find multiple co-circulating HIV-1 subtypes in North Africa and Middle East
Noting a lack of HIV epidemiology research focused specifically on North Africa and the Middle East, MHRP researchers Morgane Rolland and Kayvon Modjarrad, conducted an analysis of publicly available HIV-1 sequences to better characterize the regional epidemic.
The results were published in a research letter today in the journal AIDS. Their analysis suggests a complicated and diverse...
July 15, 2015
Host Genetics Played a Role in RV144 Protection
Researchers at the U.S. Military HIV Research Program (MHRP) tested whether specific variants of immune response genes called HLA were associated with greater protection against the virus.
“We found that antibody responses correlated with increased or decreased risk of acquiring HIV only in the presence of specific host HLA alleles,” said senior author Dr. Rasmi Thomas. By identifying...
June 3, 2015
Humanized DRAG Mouse Model Holds Promise For Pre-Clinical Testing of Candidate HIV Vaccines
A new study led by MHRP researchers in collaboration with the Military Malaria Vaccine Program shows that T follicular helper cells (Tfh) accumulate in the gut and female reproductive tract of humanized DRAG mice, which are highly permissive to HIV infection. Researchers believe this will provide a new pre-clinical model to understand the early events in mucosal HIV infection and help to...
May 18, 2015
MHRP Marks HIV Vaccine Awareness Day
The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa is a stark reminder of the constant threat infectious diseases pose to communities around the world, including the U.S. Military. If we’d had an effective vaccine against Ebola, much of the pain, suffering and death could have been avoided.
This experience serves as a reminder of the power of vaccines, which have dramatically reduced the impact...