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11 JUNE 2021 VOLUME 23 ISSUE 23

Media Coverage

  • Opinion: Is an AIDS-free Generation Still Achievable?

    In 2019, 880 children and adolescents became infected with HIV each day. In the same year, only 53 percent of children living with HIV accessed lifesaving antiretroviral treatment, compared with 74 percent of adults; and only 37 percent of children were virally suppressed, compared with 60 percent of adults.

    June 11, 2021
    Treatment
    Devex

  • Is HIV Criminalization the No. 1 Barrier to Ending the Epidemic?

    For many people, being told that they are HIV positive is no longer a death sentence. But for Robert Suttle, a Black gay man and social justice educator, it is a life sentence.

    June 11, 2021
    General
    Medscape

  • Ending HIV in Children Is Way Off Target: Where To Focus Action Now

    World leaders have recently, under the auspices of the United Nations, renewed their commitment to ending AIDS. The new phase offers much needed hope for the future, provided the commitments made are fulfilled.

    June 11, 2021
    Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision
    The Conversation

  • UN Urges Kenya To Promote Domestic Financing for HIV/AIDS Programs

    Kenya should prioritize domestic financing for national programs aimed at combating HIV/AIDS, a United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) official said Friday. "Kenya requires innovative alternative sources for HIV resources to reach many people and also help suppress the spread of the virus," Medhin Tsehaiu, UNAIDS country director for Kenya said at a forum in Nairobi.

    June 11, 2021
    General
    Xinhua

  • HIV After COVID: Anthony Fauci and an Army of Researchers Seek To Regain Momentum

    As Anthony Fauci marks 40 years since HIV emerged, he regrets how the extraordinary disruptions that COVID-19 have wreaked upon society have hampered efforts to tackle the major pandemic that preceded it.

    June 11, 2021
    General
    The Guardian

  • After 40 Years of AIDS, Progress Has Been Made but Major Problems Remain

    Four decades ago this past week, the first ever cases of the HIV/AIDS epidemic were publicly noted, and hardly noticed. But soon after, cases exploded around the world. It's estimated that roughly 35 million people have died from AIDS in the years since. William Brangham reports and speaks with two people deeply immersed in the issue for a look back at the epidemic and the best way forward.

    June 10, 2021
    General
    PBS NewsHour

  • We’d Be Thrilled if HIV and TB Got This Much Attention, Says Sisonke Trial Leader

    Prof Linda-Gail Bekker, co-lead investigator on the Sisonke trial, has cautioned that we drop the ball on HIV and tuberculosis at our peril as we battle COVID-19. Speaking at the Cape Town Press Club on Wednesday, she said: “It is 40 years this week since HIV was first described in gay men on the west coast of America and we are still looking for a safe prophylactic against the virus. I have spent most of my adult career as a scientist looking for that vaccine.”

    June 9, 2021
    General
    Times Live

  • Black Queer Sex Workers Need a Seat at the HIV Advocacy Table: A Conversation With JD Blackstone

    HIV advocacy work often strives to have a workforce that mirrors the communities disproportionately impacted by HIV. And while there exist genuine efforts to increase diversity in the field, oftentimes we also see and experience tokenism—symbolic gestures to mirror diversity without genuine efforts to proportionately bring diverse voices to the decision-making table.

    June 9, 2021
    General
    The Body

  • HIV 40 Years On: Four Action Points to End AIDS as a Health Threat

    On 5 June 1981 a short report of five cases of pneumocystis pneumonia in young homosexual men in Los Angeles marked the discovery of AIDS, the first pandemic of the 20th century caused by a completely new virus, HIV.

    June 8, 2021
    General
    The Conversation

  • A UN Declaration on Ending AIDS Should Have Been Easy. It Wasn’t

    On Tuesday, the United Nations is expected to adopt new targets for ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, seemingly a goal most countries could easily have agreed to. But consensus has been elusive.

    June 8, 2021
    General
    New York Times

  • What ACT UP’s Successes Can Teach Today’s Protest Movements

    As we move into a new phase of the COVID crisis, it is hard to miss how the pandemic reveals the fissures in our society. Communities and countries of poor people of colour cannot access vaccines that are readily available to the most powerful and protected. COVID has been compared to Aids, but today’s pandemic is a collective public experience while AIDS – especially during its height – was a private nightmare. Our group, ACT UP, fought to get it out into the public consciousness.

    June 8, 2021
    General
    The Guardian

  • UN: Like COVID-19, Inequalities Drive AIDS Epidemic

    The head of UNAIDS said Tuesday that inequalities are a chief driver of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, just as they are with COVID-19. "Inequalities in power, status, rights and voice are driving the HIV pandemic," said Winnie Byanyima, executive director of UNAIDS. "Inequalities kill."

    June 8, 2021
    General
    Voice of America

  • Study Reveals Adherence Gap in Preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission

    Ugandan study finds uptake of HIV treatment above 90 percent, but only three-quarters of women were fully taking medication after two months.

    June 8, 2021
    Treatment
    Avert

  • With COVID-19, as With HIV, Science and Partnerships With Communities Lead the Way

    Like so many of her generation, Josephine Nabukenya wasn’t aware of her HIV status during her early childhood in Uganda. But when she was 8 years old, she came across a letter written by her mother that revealed the devastating news: Josephine and her mother and father were all living with HIV. Josephine was HIV-positive at birth.

    June 7, 2021
    General
    STAT

  • A ‘Landmark’ Trial to Test mRNA Vaccines Against COVID-19 in Africa Can’t Get the Coveted Shots

    The questions are urgent, and the funding is in place. But a highly anticipated, $130 million clinical trial, meant to test the efficacy of the novel messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines for COVID-19 against a key variant of the pandemic coronavirus as well as in people living with HIV and pregnant women, is stalled. It is ready to launch in eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa, yet neither maker of the vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, wants to participate—or even provide their vaccines.

    June 7, 2021
    General
    Science Magazine

Published Research

  • Beyond the Magic Bullet: What Will It Take to End the AIDS Epidemic?

    Extensive social and behavioral research has shed light on factors that influence the risk of HIV. HIV prevention, however, has lagged. In 2019, more than 1.7 million new HIV infections were reported, far higher that the target of less than 500,00 annual cases. This shortfall raises several questions. Where and among whom are new infections occurring? Why have we lagged in preventing HIV infections? And, most importantly, what can be done to stem the spread of this virus?

    June 10, 2021
    General, PrEP
    AJPH

  • Reimagining Inclusivity in Health Care for Sexual Minorities to End the HIV Epidemic: A Student Perspective

    We must view diversity and inclusion efforts—and all interventions against heterosexism, classism, and racism in medicine—as a part of the national HIV response and the efforts to end the HIV epidemic.7 Until we achieve these goals, HIV prevention and treatment efforts will continue to be impeded by provider-based heterosexism and heteronormative standards, perpetuating the stereotype of MSM as victims of the epidemic.

    June 10, 2021
    General
    AJPH

  • Acceleration of Differentiated Service Delivery for HIV Treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa During COVID-19

    Adaptations to DSD for HIV treatment in response to COVID-19 have resulted in rapid policy change and in some cases, acceleration of implementation in SSA. As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, there is a critical need to assess the impact of these adaptations and, where beneficial, ensure that policies implemented in response to COVID-19 become the new normal.

    June 9, 2021
    Treatment
    JIAS

  • Tracking Elimination of HIV Transmission in Men Who Have Sex With Men in England: A Modelling Study

    The sharp decrease in HIV incidence, estimated to have begun before the scale up of PrEP, indicates the success of strengthening treatment as prevention measures among MSM in England. To achieve the 2030 elimination threshold, targeted policies might be required to reach those aged 45 years or older, in whom incidence is decreasing at the slowest rate.

    June 9, 2021
    PrEP, Treatment
    Lancet HIV

  • PrEP University: A Multi-Disciplinary University-Based HIV Prevention Education Program

    Overall, an HIV Prevention Education Program was successfully administered to nearly 200 participants and resulted in improved knowledge of HIV prevention and PrEP across. Pharmacists and OBGYN physicians are two groups with an expanding role in the use of PrEP. Similar programs at other medical schools should be implemented to ensure that future physicians and pharmacists are comfortable with PrEP prescription.

    June 9, 2021
    PrEP
    Journal of Community Health

  • Ending AIDS as a Public Health Threat by 2030: Time To Reset Targets for 2025

    The new set of 2025 targets, including those addressing financial needs and societal enablers, has been incorporated in the UNAIDS Strategy for 2021 to 2026, which was approved by the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board in March 2021, and which is expected to guide and influence countries, major donors, and implementing organizations....

    June 8, 2021
    General
    PLOS Medicine

  • Antibody-Based CCR5 Blockade Protects Macaques From Mucosal SHIV Transmission

    Here, we report that competitive inhibition of HIV Env-CCR5 binding via the CCR5-specific antibody Leronlimab protects rhesus macaques against infection following repeated intrarectal challenges of CCR5-tropic SHIVSF162P3.... Tissue biopsies from protected macaques post challenge show complete CCR5 receptor occupancy and an absence of viral nucleic acids. After Leronlimab washout, protected macaques remain aviremic, and adoptive transfer of hematologic cells into naïve macaques does not transmit viral infection.

    June 7, 2021
    Antibody Related Research
    Nature Communications

  • Identifying Opportunities To Discuss Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis During Contraceptive Coaching Discussions With Urban Adolescent Women

    Thematic analysis demonstrated three types of opportunities for PrEP discussions: failure to introduce information, and provision of incomplete information or misinformation. Analysis also revealed four opportunity contexts: sexually transmitted infection prevention strategies, HIV risk reduction, avoidance of adverse sexual health outcomes, and disclosures of condom nonprotected sexual behaviors. Only one transcript mentioned PrEP.

    June 5, 2021
    PrEP
    Journal of Adolescent Health

  • Structural and Genetic Convergence of HIV-1 Neutralizing Antibodies in Vaccinated Non-Human Primates

    In this study, we characterized the structure and genetic features of HIV-1 inhibitory antibodies from vaccinated monkeys as a model for human vaccination. We found that individual monkeys responded to HIV vaccination by generating highly similar HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies. The antibodies had nearly identical structures and genetic makeups. Thus, the immune systems of different monkeys generate a common solution for inhibiting viral protein function and infectivity.

    June 4, 2021
    Antibody Related Research, HIV Vaccine
    PLOS Pathogens

  • Safety and Immunogenicity of an HIV-1 gp120-CD4 Chimeric Subunit Vaccine in a Phase 1a Randomized Controlled Trial

    By the final vaccination, all vaccine recipients developed antibodies against IHV01 and demonstrated anti-CD4i epitope antibodies. The elicited antibodies reacted with CD4 non-liganded Env antigens from diverse HIV-1 strains. Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity against heterologous infected cells or gp120 bound to CD4+ cells was evident in all cohorts as were anti-gp120 T-cell responses. IHV01 vaccine was safe, well tolerated, and immunogenic at all doses tested.

    June 4, 2021
    HIV Vaccine
    Vaccine

  • Development of a Platform-Based Approach for the Clinical Production of HIV gp120 Envelope Glycoprotein Vaccine Candidates

    This body of work demonstrates successful pursuit of a platform development approach to manufacture important vaccine candidates and can be used as a model for other vaccine glycoproteins, such as HIV gp140 trimers or other viral glycoproteins with global health implications.

    June 4, 2021
    HIV Vaccine
    Vaccine

  • Effects of Condom Use on HIV Transmission Among Adolescent Sexual Minority Males in the United States: A Mixed Epidemiology and Epidemic Modeling Study

    Condom use among adolescent sexual minority males (ASMM) is low and appears to have remained stable during 2011-2017. Modeling suggests that condom use increases consistent with previous interventions have potential to avert 1 in 11 new HIV infections among ASMM.

    June 3, 2021
    Male and Female Condoms
    Sexually Transmitted Diseases

  • COVID-19 Shows Need for UN General Assembly Push to End AIDS

    Some might argue that the world cannot afford to end AIDS as it wrestles with the immense challenges of COVID-19 pandemic. Such short-sightedness is what left the world unacceptably vulnerable to COVID-19. Continued underinvestment in pandemic preparedness and responses is akin to playing with fire. The General Assembly's high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS on June 8–10, 2021, is a critical moment for countries to embrace the UNAIDS strategy and put the world back on track to ending AIDS by 2030.

    June 3, 2021
    General
    Lancet HIV

  • Messaging Matters: Achieving Equity in the HIV Response Through Public Health Communication

    Public health messaging about the HIV epidemic has evolved substantially over the past 40 years. Future HIV messaging should be driven by health equity principles that include an increased representation of key populations in message design and dissemination, transparency of funding, and communicating any impact that campaigns have had on closing health inequalities.

    June 1, 2021
    General
    Lancet HIV

  • Modulating HIV-1 Envelope Glycoprotein Conformation To Decrease the HIV-1 Reservoir

    We employed new-generation SRG-15 humanized mice, supporting natural killer (NK) cell and Fc-effector functions to demonstrate that brief treatment with CD4mc and CD4i-Abs significantly decreases HIV-1 replication, the virus reservoir and viral rebound after ART interruption. These effects required Fc-effector functions and NK cells, highlighting the importance of ADCC. Viral rebound was also suppressed in HIV-1+-donor cell-derived humanized mice supplemented with autologous HIV-1+-donor-derived plasma and CD4mc.

    May 19, 2021
    Cure
    Cell Host & Microbe

  • What Influences Uptake and Early Adherence to Option B+ (Lifelong Antiretroviral Therapy Among HIV Positive Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women) in Central Uganda? A Mixed Methods Study

    Uptake of Option B+ ART was very high. However, failure to start swallowing ART and sub-optimal adherence are a major public health concern. Enhancing women’s readiness to start ART and encouraging HIV result revelation could improve ART uptake and adherence.

    May 5, 2021
    Treatment
    PLOS One

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