Under the leadership of Mina Hosseinipour, MD, MPH, the NIH’s National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), has funded the project “Preventing Infant Infections with Implementation Science in Malawi.” (PRI3SM). The program, in partnership with the Republic of Malawi’s Ministry of Health, comprises three studies to address gaps in prevention services, striving for the elimination of vertical transmission of HIV, aligned with an integrated training framework that highlights ‘homegrown’ early investigators as leaders of the projects. UNC CFAR Developmental awardee, Maganizo Chagomerana, MS, Ph.D., is among UNC-Project Malawian faculty in leadership on the project (L-R) Tisungane Mvalo, MD; Michael Herce, MD, MSc; Agatha Bula, PhD, MPH, RNM; Maganizo Chagomerana, PhD; Friday Saidi, MD; Mina Hosseinipour, MD, MPH; Sarah Rutstein, MD, PhD; Charity Nakanga, MBBS, MSc; and Lameck Chinula, MD. UNC-Project Malawian faculty in leadership roles include Friday Saidi, MD (OB/GYN), Lameck Chinula, MD (OB/GYN), Tisungane Mvalo, MD (Pediatrics), Mitch Matoga, MBBS, PhD candidate (Implementation Science),

UNC School of Medicine researchers Angela Wahl, PhD, Balfour Sartor MD, J. Victor Garcia, PhD, and colleagues created a germ-free mouse model to evaluate the role of the microbiome in the infection, replication, and pathogenesis of HIV and Epstein-Barr virus, the virus that can cause mononucleosis and other serious diseases. Recent research has shown that the bacteria and other microbes in our gut play a supporting role in immunity, metabolism, digestion, and the fight against “bad bacteria” that try to invade our bodies. However, new research published in Nature Biotechnology by Angela Wahl, PhD, Balfour Sartor, MD, J. Victor Garcia, PhD, and UNC School of Medicine colleagues, has revealed that the microbiome may not always be protective against human pathogens. Angela Wahl, PhD Using a first-of-its-kind precision animal model with no microbiome (germ-free), researchers have shown that the microbiome has a significant impact on the acquisition of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)

The 7.5-million grant from the NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will help researchers pinpoint specific factors that lead to a better immune response through HIV vaccination. Kristina de Paris, PhD, Associate Director, UNC CFAR’s HIV/STD Core, and professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and colleagues were awarded a grant for their project entitled “Determinants of HIV broadly-neutralizing antibody precursor induction in infants. The grant, sponsored by the NIH National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), will provide them with $7.5 million in funding over the next five years. Using the grant, the research team will study changes in the infant rhesus macaque’s antibody response after receiving different HIV vaccine components called adjuvants. They will also be studying the interactions between host immunity and naturally occurring bacteria in the microbiome, in response to vaccination. “Our goal is to identify innate and microbial factors that impact B

UNC CFAR was well presented at the 2023 HPTN Annual Meeting! UNC CFAR’s Associate Director, the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN’s) Principle Investigator Myron Cohen, and UNC CFAR’s Clinical Core Director Joseph Eron provided key leadership roles during the 2023 HPTN Annual Meeting in Washington DC. The week-long event gathered more than 800 registered in-person and virtual attendees to celebrate the progress and consider future research to reduce the acquisition and transmission of HIV. The HPTN Annual Meeting brought together hundreds of researchers, collaborators, community representatives, and government health officials to engage in meaningful discussions regarding the Network’s scientific agenda and current and planned HIV prevention research studies. The HPTN Community Working Group weekend sessions featured best practices for community engagement, community advisory board involvement, and study participant recruitment and retention. The plenary sessions at the meeting covered a variety of topics, including: Biomedical agents for HIV prevention Sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention among communities

The Dennis Research Group in the School of Medicine has released a new white paper titled, “Revitalizing Community Engagement in the Public Health Use of Molecular HIV Epidemiology.” The paper is a product of the UNC Ethics of HIV Molecular Surveillance Project, funded through an administrative supplement to the NIAID-funded R01 Phylodynamics Response, Monitoring, & Prevention of Transmission (HIV PROMPT; PI Ann Dennis, R01Al135970). The research team engaged with diverse stakeholders in North Carolina, including community members living with HIV, health care providers, public health leaders and professionals, community advocates, and bioethicists, through a multi-phase engagement process.  The white paper was prepared by the PROMPT Bioethics Study Team, which includes Dennis, Suzanne Day, PhD, MA; Stuart Rennie, PhD; and Kristen Sullivan, PhD. Read more