Future Directions for NIAID HIV Research: Consider and Comment

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is developing a series of blog posts here on AIDS.gov related to planning for the future of NIAID’s HIV/AIDS clinical trial networks. Each blog post focuses on specific aspects of the network restructuring in which NIAID is seeking input from the broader research and HIV/AIDS communities.

The following blogs posts have been posted and are open for comments (with more on the way):

• Restructuring NIAID’s HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials Networks
• Future Priorities for NIAID’s HIV Prevention Research
• Looking Ahead: NIAID’s Future HIV/AIDS Therapeutics Priorities
• Future Directions for NIAID’s HIV Vaccine Clinical Research

We welcome your feedback and suggestions!

Interview with Ernest Hopkins and Bob Grant about Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)

by Miguel Gomez, AIDS.gov Director

Recently I sat down with Ernest Hopkins, Legislative Director at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation , and Bob Grant, M.D.,M.P.H. , Senior Investigator at the Gladstone Institute at University of California San Francisco , to talk about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Here is a video from our conversation.

International AIDS Conference 2010: Highlights & Key Scientific Outcomes From Andrew Fullem

Guest post by Andrew Fullem, MSPH, AIDS.gov Advisor and Director for JSI & World Education's Center for HIV and AIDS

Andrew Fullem, MSPH, AIDS.gov Advisor and Director for JSI & World Education's Center for HIV and AIDS

I’ve been fortunate to attend international HIV conferences for many years. Several of those conferences stand out in my memory for the results they produced. In Vancouver (1996), researchers first announced the results of the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) clinical trials—changing the future for millions of us living with HIV. In Durban (2000), delegates to the conference made an urgent call to ensure access to treatment for people in Africa and other regions of the world heavily impacted by HIV. Now the XVIII International AIDS Conference which recently concluded in Vienna joins that list for memorable results. On Monday, July 19, researchers announced a significant step forward in the development of microbicides that may one day be widely available to provide critical protection from HIV and herpes.

It was an amazing few days with scientists, service providers, clients, and advocates talking and debating about what we need to do for those living with, and at risk for, HIV. Some of the highlights for me include:

NIH-Led Scientists Find Antibodies that Prevent Most HIV Strains from Infecting Human Cells

By Laura Sivitz Leifman, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH

Scientists have discovered two potent human antibodies that can stop more than 90 percent of known global HIV strains from infecting human cells in the laboratory. The scientists also have demonstrated how one of these disease-fighting proteins accomplishes this feat. According to the scientists, these antibodies could be used to design improved HIV vaccines, or could be further developed to prevent or treat HIV infection. Plus, the method used to find these antibodies could be applied to isolate therapeutic antibodies for other infectious diseases as well.

Led by a team from the NIAID Vaccine Research Center (VRC), the scientists found two powerful antibodies called VRC01 and VRC02 in an HIV-infected individual's blood. They discovered the antibodies using a probe they developed that homes in on the specific cells that make antibodies against a very vulnerable spot on HIV.

Wrap-up from the International AIDS Conference in Vienna

By Miguel Gomez, AIDS.gov Director and Michelle Samplin-Salgado, AIDS.gov New Media Strategist

Closing Session, XVIII International AIDS Conference Vienna, Austria
©IAS/Marcus Rose/Workers’ Photos

Today is the last day of the International AIDS Conference . Throughout the week we’ve had the pleasure of hearing key scientific outcomes along with policy and program updates from the meeting. We were encouraged by the expanded use of new media at the conference this year. For example, the IAC blog and tweets kept us up-to-date throughout the week. We ourselves used our blog, YouTube , Twitter , and Facebook pages to share updates with those who weren't able to attend the conference in-person. We also enjoyed meeting new media colleagues from around the world at tweet ups and other informal meetings.

The closing session concluded with Jack Whitescarver, Director for AIDS Research at the National Institutes of Health and Director of the Office of AIDS Research, receiving the first International AIDS Society’s Presentation Award. President Obama and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton also shared a video message at the session, where they spoke about the U.S. commitment to HIV and welcomed the conference to Washington, DC in 2012 .

We have additional posts and videos from the conference that we will be sharing over the coming weeks. In the meantime, we encourage you to visit our blog and the AIDS 2010: Expanded Edition of the Kaiser Family Foundation Health Policy Report .