5 JANUARY 2018 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 1

Media Coverage

• Why finding new HIV targets takes so long: Some basics about basic research

  Although great strides have been made at combating human immunodeficiency virus, leading to better quality of life and a longer life expectancy for those living with the virus, significant problems remain. As an AIDS basic researcher, I have experienced firsthand why lab work takes so long to reach actual AIDS patients.

  January 4, 2018

  Treatment

  The BodyPro

• Exposure to drugs & violence in adolescence may increase risk for HIV in adulthood

  New research coming in from the University of Michigan suggests that those who have been exposed to certain types of mental and physical stress during adolescence may experience a higher incidence of HIV as adults.

  January 4, 2018

  General

  Contagion Live

• SA to conduct first-ever HIV study on transgender women

  The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) on Thursday said that it would be conducting the first South African integrated biological and behavioural survey on HIV in transgender women looking at HIV prevalence in South African transgender women. This study will be conducted in the Cape Town, Johannesburg, and the Buffalo City Metro in the Eastern Cape beginning later this month.

  January 4, 2018

  General

  Citizen

• Bill Gates: What gives me hope about the world's future

  What turned out to be harder than you bargained for? The death rate from AIDS and preventing mother-to-child transmission during birth, those things have gone super well. But the prevention, getting people to change their behavior and getting the vaccine or drug that would protect you, that has not succeeded.

  January 4, 2018

  General

  TIME

• The NIH is in danger of losing its edge in creating biomedical innovations

  For generations, America has been the world leader in biomedical research innovation. Lately, though, it has been losing its preeminence in discovery to other countries….Declining levels of federal funding for biomedical research, along with inefficient allocation of funds by the National Institutes of Health, are jeopardizing innovation.

  January 3, 2018

  General

  STAT News

• Trump's firing sets back AIDS prevention efforts

  President Donald Trump’s decision to fire his HIV/AIDS advisory panel and refusal to fill other key policy positions puts the US at risk of slipping backward on prevention just as the opioid epidemic threatens to spread the virus among intravenous drug users.

  January 3, 2018

  General

  Politico

• App allows patients to access PrEP through their phones

  PlushCare, a new app that allows gay men to access the HIV prevention drug PrEP through their phone, promises to revolutionize HIV prevention and care….Just download the app and put in your insurance information,….Then you book an appointment with the doctor of your choice.

  January 3, 2018

  PrEP

  South Florida Gay News

• New online resource for PrEP created by Dublin-based activists

  Will St Leger, Adam Shanley and several other sexual health advocates have created an online resource for those in Ireland looking for information.

  January 3, 2018

  PrEP

  GCN

• Genetically modified T cells might help fight HIV

  The same kind of DNA tinkering that produced the first FDA-approved gene therapy for cancer has shown hints of suppressing and even eradicating HIV infection in lab animals, scientists have reported.

  January 2, 2018

  General

  Scientific America

• Florida will provide free PrEP in 2018

  Florida has made history by being one of the first US states to offer free HIV-preventing medication statewide.

  January 1, 2018

  PrEP

  Pink News

• Top 10 HIV and hepatitis stories of 2017

  For our last issue, HIVandHepatitis.com reviews some the year's major HIV, viral hepatitis, and related news highlights.

  December 29, 2017

  Cure, General, Treatment

  HIV and Hepatitis

• Kenya’s HIV progress report: good progress, but also big gaps

  In Kenya.…We see progress in reducing new infections among adults, providing preventive medication and providing oral self-testing for HIV. But more must be done to reduce new infections among adolescent girls and young women, female sex workers and men who have sex with men.

  December 27, 2017

  General, PrEP, Treatment

  The Conversation

• Overcoming difficulties developing an HIV vaccine

  The development of an HIV vaccine has proven extraordinarily difficult. One of the reasons is that naïve precursor B cells that can give rise to mature B cells producing broadly neutralizing antibodies are exceedingly rare within the average human. Yet, despite their low frequency these B cell precursors can outcompete their B cell competitors under the right conditions.

  December 26, 2017

  Antibody Related Research, HIV Vaccine

  Science Daily

Published Research

• Expanding the menu of HIV prevention options: A qualitative study of experiences with long-acting injectable cabotegravir as PrEP in the context of a Phase II trial in the United States

  We conducted 30 in-depth interviews with 26 male trial participants and 4 clinical providers in a Phase IIa study (ÉCLAIR) evaluating the use of long-acting cabotegravir (CAB-LA) injections in New York and San Francisco….almost all participants reported being interested in continuing with CAB-LA, versus a daily oral, due to its convenience and the perceived advantage of not worrying about adhering to pills.

  December 30, 2017

  PrEP

  AIDS and Behavior

• From research to policy: The WHO experience with developing guidelines on the potential risk of HIV acquisition and progestogen-only contraception use

  To develop guidance for women at high risk of HIV, WHO carefully considered the risks of maternal morbidity and mortality from unintended pregnancy against possible increased risk of HIV acquisition with injectable use.

  December 28, 2017

  Hormonal Contraceptives and HIV

  Global Health: Science and Practice

• Re-evaluating the possible increased risk of HIV acquisition with progestin-only injectables versus maternal mortality and life expectancy in Africa: A decision analysis

  Women living in sub-Saharan Africa cope with both high rates of HIV infection and high rates of pregnancy-related maternal death relative to the rest of the world. Based on the most current estimates, our model suggests that removal of POI contraception from the market without effective and acceptable contraception replacement would have a net negative effect on maternal health, life expectancy, and mortality under a variety of scenarios.

  December 28, 2017

  Hormonal Contraceptives and HIV

  Global Health: Science and Practice

• A systems-based assessment of the PrePex device adverse events active surveillance system in Zimbabwe

  The WHO has recently pre-qualified the PrePex device, a non-surgical male circumcision device, which reduces procedure time, can increase acceptability of VMMC, and can expand the set of potential provider cadres. The PrePex device was introduced in Zimbabwe as a way to scale-up VMMC services in the country. With the rapid scale-up of the PrePex device, as well as other similar devices, a strong surveillance system to detect adverse events (AE) is needed to monitor the safety profile of these devices.

  December 22, 2017

  Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision

  PLoS One

• Ethical considerations in developing an evidence base for pre-exposure prophylaxis in pregnant women

  Though many women in need of access to HIV preventive regimes are pregnant, there is a dearth of data to guide these care decisions.… We propose for ethical examination a theoretical trial-a prospective, observational study of PrEP for pregnant women at risk for HIV in sub-Saharan Africa-highlighting an ethical tradeoff that characterizes issues faced for advancing research in pregnancy.

  December 14, 2017

  PrEP

  Reprod Health

Announcements