Px Pulse

Px Pulse is a project of AVAC and our partners in the Coalition to Accelerate and Support Prevention Research. Each month this podcast, hosted and produced by Jeanne Baron, uses interviews, discussion and first-person reflections to explore vital topics confronting the field of HIV prevention research.

Px Pulse features in-depth conversations with voices across the field. For a quick take, listen to highlighted selections from those interviews. Subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Google or wherever you listen to podcasts!

We're very interested to hear your thoughts!

Evolving Strategies for an HIV Vaccine: One researcher explains where the field is going and why?
May 17, 2023
In this episode of our Px Pulse podcast, Evolving Strategies for an HIV Vaccine: One researcher explains where the field is going and why?, Dr. Katy Stephenson explores the implications of recent trial results, the big questions driving next generation vaccine development, and new strategies underway in early phase research.

LGBTQIA+ Advocacy in Uganda: Facing down fear and fighting for justice
April 11, 2023
In March 2023, the Ugandan Parliament moved forward broad-reaching legislation to further criminalize LGBTQIA+ people. This podcast features Ugandan advocates and AVAC partners discussing the specifics of how these attacks have gained momentum and their ties to US-based religious extremists. The advocates discuss what needs to happen next.

PPPR Advocacy 101: Find out what it means to you (19:05)
March 28, 2023
Over the coming months, global leaders will make key decisions about several initiatives to prepare for the next pandemic. What they commit to and how much they will spend, and how well these plans incorporate equity as a principle across all of these agreements, is in question.

The Shape of Pandemic Preparedness is Being Decided. Now is the Time for Collective Action (15:14)
March 2, 2023
Health leaders around the world are in the midst of creating a new architecture to deal with pandemics. In this episode of Px Pulse, Chris Collins, the CEO and President at Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, talks about what’s at stake, which policy-makers get it already, why this year matters so much, and what advocates can do about it.

New Products are Needed and a New Paradigm is Essential: A new era in prevention? (28:09)
November 30, 2022
With all the talk about new HIV prevention products such as the dapivirine vaginal ring or injectable cabotegravir for PrEP (CAB for PrEP), what’s little understood is how to match proven products with the programs, policies and political will needed to get them to the people who need them. This episode explores the shifting landscape in HIV prevention and how this moment gives the world a chance to finally reimagine how to DELIVER prevention.

Research Fundamentals: An HIV Vaccine — What’s the challenge and what’s the science? (12:03)
May 18, 2022
Some vaccines are easier to develop than others. COVID-19 vaccines were developed with unprecedented speed, taking a matter of months to become available. A measles vaccine took about 10 years to develop. But the field’s been working on an HIV vaccine for 40 years. In this episode, AVAC’s Jeanne Baron and co-host immunologist Katharine Kripke of AVENIR Health explore why HIV is different with two experts on vaccine research: Caltech’s Pamela Bjorkman and IAVI’s Vincent Kioi.

What Matters Right Now for Rolling Out the Ring and Injectable PrEP? (25:31)
March 30, 2022
In this episode of PxPulse, host Jeanne Baron and AVAC’s Executive Director Mitchell Warren join Linda-Gail Bekker from South Africa’s Desmond Tutu Health Foundation and Lillian Mworeko from the International Community of Women Living with HIV East Africa (ICWEA) to discuss innovative models for scale-up and delivery that could ensure HIV prevention options fulfill their life-saving, epidemic-ending potential.

Research Fundamentals: What is an endpoint? (9:01)
December 14, 2021
Our Px Pulse series, Research Fundamentals, explains key concepts in HIV prevention research. In this episode, host Px Pulse host Jeanne Baron and Matthrew Rose, a veteran HIV advocate and now Director at Global Health Strategies, look at endpoints in research.

Special Interview with AVAC’s Micheal Ighodaro (14:34)
July 15, 2021
In this episode of Px Pulse, Special Interview with AVAC’s Micheal Ighodaro, goes behind the scenes of the new HBO movie, The Legend of the Underground. The film documents the lives of AVACer Micheal Ighodaro and other LGBTQ Nigerians as they confront enormous risks to ‘live out loud’. As the movie unfolds, individual stories of resilience are woven together into a tapestry that portrays a revolution for cultural change in Nigeria.

To End a Plague (20:10)
July 7, 2021
The latest episode of Px Pulse takes a deep dive into PEPFAR, The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, looking at its pioneering successes and its challenges. In this episode, AVAC’s former Director of Strategy and Content, Emily Bass, discusses her new book, To End a Plague: America’s fight to end AIDS in Africa.

Dive into the AMP Trials (23:55)
May 6, 2021
In this episode of Px Pulse, AVACers Jeanne Baron and Daisy Ouya talk to leading bNAb researcher, IAVI’s Devin Sok; a veteran HIV research advocate Mark Hubbard who served on AMP's protocol team; and a senior member of the HVTN’s community engagement team, a chief explainer of the AMP trails, Gail Broder. Together we explore why these findings point to the need for combination antibodies, the need for a better understanding of the types of HIV that are circulating in a community, the complicated implications of a key lab test, the TZM-bl assay and more.

CAB-LA is a Highly Effective HIV Prevention Option; Now what? (23:06)
December 17, 2020
Long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) is a promising new option for HIV prevention. In 2020, early results from two trials—HPTN 083 and HPTN 084—showed CAB-LA was safe and highly effective at preventing HIV when compared to daily oral TDF/FTC (Truvada) in men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender (TG) women and cisgender women. Now what? What questions remain unanswered and what support is needed now to make the growing range of prevention options feasible choices for people who may want and need them?

A Leap Forward For the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring, the Next Steps Are Critical (37:10)
September 17, 2020
After decades of research and advocacy, the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring is now one step closer to becoming available as a discreet, woman-initiated HIV prevention option. In July, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued a positive opinion for the ring, allowing the next steps in the regulatory process to go forward. Download this podcast to hear five different perspectives on the ring, how it expands HIV prevention options for women, and the most important next steps to bring the ring to women who need it.

Research Fundamentals: What is partial protection? (11:41)
July 22, 2020
AVAC is launching a new series on our podcast Px Pulse—Research Fundamentals. In addition to our regular schedule of programs covering advances and challenges in HIV prevention research, Research Fundamentals we’ll explore scientific concepts in research, one at a time.

The Intersections of HIV and COVID-19 in Real-Time (17:30)
May 14, 2020
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on across the world, the latest crisis is markedly reminiscent of the early days of HIV. And while the HIV epidemic is far from over, unrelenting activism, strong community engagement, partnerships and innovation are to thank for the strides the field has made towards controlling the epidemic. In this episode of Px Pulse, we’ve compiled excerpts from two April webinars that offer unique perspectives on how COVID-19 and HIV are shaping one another.

HVTN 702 and the Quest for Vaccine (21:10)
March 10, 2020
One of the most anticipated HIV vaccine efficacy trials in the field—HVTN 702, or Uhambo—stopped vaccinations early after a scheduled review showed the vaccine did not offer protection. The news delivered disappointment to the more than 5,000 South Africans who participated in the study, local communities, the field worldwide.

2020 Global Targets for Prevention Will Not Be Met: Now What? (14:38)
January 29, 2020
In this episode of Px Pulse, AVAC’s Emily Bass and lead author of our report Now What? talks about AVAC’s blueprint for course correcting—bold leadership, smart target-setting for HIV prevention research and implementation, and multilayered prevention programs that are centered around people. She explains why the epidemic needs a sustained response and how leaders from the highest level down to the grassroots can demand accountability and reject a “business as usual” approach.

What’s All the Fuss About F/TAF? A Trailer for Action in 2020 (13:54)
December 19, 2019
What’s all the fuss about F/TAF for oral PrEP? The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drug maker Gilead’s Descovy (also known as F/TAF) as daily oral PrEP in October 2019, with one notable caveat: the label excluded those who are at risk from “receptive vaginal sex”, indicating that more data is needed for the drug to be approved as HIV prevention for cisgender women. We explore this and more in this episode of Px Pulse.

Human-Centered Design and Prevention in the Real World (23:48)
October 21, 2019
In this episode of Px Pulse, we hear from AVACer Anabel Gomez about the human-centered design project she’s leading with partners in South Africa to chart a path that will better support a journey to HIV prevention. We also hear from two members of the research team—Lesego Taule and Mpumi Mbethe—who helped lead these discussions in communities where HIV is epidemic. And a program implementer for HIV prevention in South Africa, Anthony Ambrose of NACOSA, tells us how this research can be applied to programs and how it changed the way he thinks about HIV risk.

The ECHO Trial Results: Time to Act (16:21)
June 27, 2019
In this episode of Px Pulse, two veteran women’s advocates from Kenya and South Africa, Jaqueline Wambui and Yvette Raphael, talk about what these data mean for advocacy now. Helen Rees and Nelly Mugo, members of the leadership team of the ECHO study, explain the trial results and their implications. And the World Health Organization’s James Kiarie shares the importance of the WHO guidelines and more.

The ECHO Trial: Preparing for Action (23:40)
June 7, 2019
In this episode of Px Pulse, AVAC spoke with two leaders from the ECHO trial team, Dr. Jared Baeten and Dr. Helen Rees, to understand what the trial can and cannot tell us. And you’ll hear leading women’s advocates from several countries where the ECHO trial took place share their demands.

The Science of Choice: The future of HIV prevention research (24:01)
April 8, 2019
This episode of Px Pulse features unmissable conversations about some of the challenges associated with today’s HIV prevention options, and analysis about what should be in the research pipeline of the future.

Community Engagement and HIV Prevention Research (15:42)
December 18, 2018
In this episode of Px Pulse, we consider how future HIV prevention trials will need to be designed as HIV prevention evolves... and how to strengthen community engagement along with it. At the heart of the matter is that clinical trials for HIV prevention are set to get bigger and more complex, in response to advances in HIV prevention, such as PrEP.

AVAC Report 2018 & HIV R4P (19:06)
October 18, 2018
In this episode of Px Pulse, Ntando Yola, a veteran advocate and part of the Coalition to Accelerate and Support Prevention Research (CASPR) shares his advocacy priorities for R4P and beyond. But first, AVAC’s Emily Bass talks about the just-launched 2018 annual report from AVAC, this year titled No Prevention, No End!

Combination Prevention and AIDS 2018 (20:57)
August 29, 2018
In this episode, featuring Ambassador Deborah Birx, we take a look at one area of great importance that was center stage at last month’s AIDS 2018 conference in Amsterdam: primary prevention.

Cure Research and Analytic Treatment Interruption (25:45)
June 28, 2018
In this episode of Px Pulse, researchers and advocates debate the rationale, risks and ethics of interrupting treatment as part of cure research. This is known as analytic treatment interruption or ATI.

HIV Vaccine Science, Research, Updates and Advocacy (27:11)
May 31, 2018
With HIV Vaccine Awareness Day (HVAD) in the spotlight earlier this month, AVAC’s May episode of Px Pulse features four experts steeped in HIV vaccine research. Together they help set expectations for where the field is now and where it is going.

From the Trenches, Advocates Share Their Prevention Priorities (16:38)
April 30, 2018
In this episode, we bring you two different conversations, each throwing a spotlight on different aspects of HIV prevention advocacy today. You'll hear how the AVAC Partner Forum brought key issues into focus and how these advocates are sharpening their strategies. Then we turn to a global effort to accelerate prevention.

What's Next for the Dapivirine Ring (30:40)
March 30, 2018
In this episode of Px Pulse, Zeda Rosenberg of the International Partnerships for Microbicides explains the latest findings and spells out how, when, where and if the ring might become an available tool. A trial participant and community leader in Uganda pulls back the curtain on the ups and downs of using the ring, and a Ugandan investigator with the REACH study, Carolyne Akello of the Makere University-Johns Hopkins University Research Collaboration, explains the importance of this trial, the next step in testing the potential of this monthly vaginal ring for young women.

Three Perspectives, Two Trials and One Big Goal (16:42)
February 26, 2018
With more efficacy trials underway today than ever before in HIV prevention research, this episode zooms in on two that have most recently launched: one of two trials testing a long-acting injectable antiretroviral called cabotegravir (HPTN 084), and the study of a "mosaic" vaccine developed by Janssen Pharmaceuticals (HVTN 705/HPX2008).

2018 and HIV Prevention: AVAC's Take (8:04)
January 10, 2018
In this episode hear about recently published findings from a study out of Rakai, Uganda confirm that scaling up of a combination of existing interventions, such as voluntary medical male circumcision and antiretroviral therapy provides protection from HIV at the population-level. How do we apply these findings at the global level? How should advocates prepare for results—anticipated in 2019—of the ECHO trial that’s looking at the effect of hormonal contraceptives on HIV risk? And what needs to happen in 2018 to reach long-term global targets for ending the epidemic?

What’s the State of the Field? AVAC Report 2017 (14:34)
December 19, 2017
In this month's episode of Px Pulse, AVAC's Diretor of Strategy & Content Emily Bass shares highlights from our annual report, Mixed Messages and How to Untangle Them, and calls for action on the unfinished work of scaling up prevention.

Standard of Care in the Era of PrEP (18:07)
November 22, 2017
Every research trial of a new HIV prevention option offers a package of services to protect participants from HIV. This standard of care is essential to the design of an ethical trial.

Trial Trial Again: Getting research right for adolescents (11:28)
October 12, 2017
Both research and advocacy for HIV prevention are intensifying their focus on young people. Bringing interventions that work for this population holds unique challenges. AVAC’s Manju Chatani-Gada explores how and why prevention research must reach the next generation.

Testing Long-Acting PrEP, Easier Said Than Done (11:56)
October 12, 2017
Leading researcher Dr. Deborah Donnell tells us why the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) changed the design of one of two trials testing long-acting cabotegravir, as an injectable PrEP.

PrEP and Trial Design — A no brainer for some (6:15)
September 22, 2017
Slim Abdool Karim, co-principal investigator of the landmark CAPRISA 004 study, talks about why designing trials with oral PrEP is a must—scientifically and ethically.

Golden Age or Fools Gold? (3:26)
September 13, 2017
Carl Dieffenbach, Director of NIH’s Division of AIDS, tells AVAC where he sees the most promise in the field of HIV prevention and what it will take to “put out the fire.”