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A Change in Drug Regimen is Associated with Temporary Increases in Dormant HIV

Switching to an antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen containing the drug dolutegravir was associated with a significant temporary increase in reservoirs of latent HIV, according to a new analysis from a study in Uganda. HIV reservoirs are cells where HIV lies dormant and cannot be reached by the immune system or ART. They are central to HIV’s persistence, preventing current treatments from clearing the virus from the body.

HIV Treatment Research and Key Takeaways: Dr. Dieffenbach’s Final Update from CROI 2024 (VIDEO)

On March 6 as the 2024 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) was winding down, HIV.gov spoke with Carl Dieffenbach, Ph.D., director of NIAID's Division of AIDS, about highlights of long-acting HIV treatment research discussed at the conference. He spoke with Brian Minalga, M.S.W., deputy director of the NIH-supported Office of HIV/AIDS Network Coordination. Watch their conversation.

Centering Women and Girls’ Health in HIV Research

Women account for approximately 23 percent of people with HIV in the United States. In recent years, women aged 25 to 34 comprised the highest number of new diagnoses. Furthermore, Black women, transgender women, and women aged 13 through 24 are more likely to experience health disparities associated with lack of access to HIV testing, treatment, and prevention resources. This weekend marked National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. NIAID supports research programs that focus on HIV and other health outcomes in women to inform and enable more targeted and effective HIV prevention, care, and treatment.

Promising Outcomes with HIV Treatment Started Promptly After Birth: Deborah Persaud Presents at CROI 2024 (VIDEO)

On the final day of the 2024 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), HIV.gov spoke with Deborah Persaud, M.D., professor of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins Children's Center, who reported findings from a study about whether very early initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) may limit the establishment of HIV reservoirs in newborns, potentially enabling ART-free remission. Dr. Persaud spoke with Catey Laube of NIAID's Office of Communications and Government Relations. Watch their conversation.

Addressing Liver and Cardiovascular Disease among People with HIV and HIV Prevention During Pregnancy: Dr. Dieffenbach’s Second Update from CROI 2024 (VIDEO)

On Tuesday at the 2024 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), HIV.gov spoke with Carl Dieffenbach, Ph.D., director of NIAID’s Division of AIDS, about research on common health complications of HIV and the safety of an HIV prevention tool during pregnancy. He spoke with Miss Molly Moon, M.S.W., Deputy Director of the NIH-supported Office of HIV/AIDS Network Coordination. Watch their conversation.

Doxy-PEP, HIV Vaccines and Community-Engaged Research: Discussions with Carl Dieffenbach and LaRon Nelson at CROI 2024 (VIDEO)

During the first full day of presentations at the 2024 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, HIV.gov spoke with Carl Dieffenbach, Ph.D., director of NIAID’s Division of AIDS, and LaRon Nelson, Ph.D., R.N., F.N.P., F.N.A.P., F.N.Y.A.M., F.A.A., professor and associate dean at the Yale School of Nursing. They discussed Doxy-PEP for STI prevention, HIV vaccines, community engagement in research, and more. Watch their discussions.

NIAID’s Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo Previews CROI 2024 (VIDEO)

HIV.gov opened their coverage of the 2024 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) today with a conversation with NIAID Director Jeanne Marrazzo, M.D., M.P.H. She spoke with Miguel Gomez, director of HIV.gov about what she’s looking forward to hearing about at the conference, how the studies presented at research conferences ultimately get translated into clinical practice or HIV prevention or treatment services, and the important roles of early-career investigators. Watch their conversation with Dr. Marrazzo.

Toward a Deeper Understanding of Effective Oral HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Use in Cisgender Women

Pivotal studies supported by NIAID demonstrated that oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) reduces an individual’s likelihood of acquiring HIV through sex by up to 99% when taken as prescribed. Research has revealed important differences in individual and population-group preferences in oral PrEP use, particularly that cisgender women participating in studies often did not take oral PrEP as prescribed—and the intervention’s effectiveness declined when doses were taken less frequently. Jeanne Marrazzo, M.D., M.P.H. and colleagues conducted a pooled analysis of data from post-marketing demonstration projects to to characterize the relationship between oral PrEP use and its efficacy among cisgender women.

New Guidelines for Use of Statins by People with HIV to Prevent Cardiovascular Events

The Department of Health and Human Services Guidelines Panel for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Adults and Adolescents with HIV (the Panel) has developed recommendations for the use of statin therapy in people with HIV, in collaboration with representatives from the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, and the HIV Medicine Association.

NIAID Team Recognized for Excellence in Technology Transfer

A multi-disciplinary NIAID team has received an Excellence in Technology Transfer Award for work that led to the treatment of the rare disease known as PASLI/APDS. The Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (FLC) award honors outstanding work by federal laboratories that collaborate with industry, academia or other labs to bring technologies from the bench to the marketplace.

In 2013...

NIAID and Cuban Scientists Gather to Discuss Global Health Challenges

Recent disease outbreaks in the Americas led U.S. and Cuban scientists to hold a meeting Feb. 14-16 on Addressing Global Health Challenges Through Scientific Innovation and Biomedical Research.

Novel CMV Vaccine Generates Stronger Response in Key Immune Cells Than Previous Candidate

A messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine designed to prevent human cytomegalovirus (CMV) elicited long-lasting CMV-specific responses from several types of immune cells, outperforming a previous vaccine concept in multiple measures in a NIAID-supported laboratory study. The findings were published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Working Together to End HIV in Black Communities

Health inequities and disparities disproportionately affect Black people and other historically marginalized groups at above average rates. NIAID highlights ongoing efforts to reduce the burden of HIV among Black Americans while increasing the representation of Black communities and researchers in HIV science.

New Model for Norovirus Offers Promising Path Towards Countermeasure Development

Norovirus, a highly infectious virus that is the leading cause of diarrhea and vomiting in the U.S., has no approved therapeutics or vaccines to prevent its miserable effects. This is partly due to a lack of reliable animal models to study norovirus infection and predict how effective interventions would be in people.

World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day – Focus on Leishmaniasis

World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day offers an opportunity to reflect on recent strides in tropical disease research and the work that remains. NIAID conducts and supports work on a wide variety of diseases—some of which rarely make headlines but cause immense suffering. An example of this is leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease that sickens hundreds of thousands of people each year, mostly in equatorial regions of the globe. In recent years, NIAID has made significant efforts to study the parasite that causes the disease and find new ways to battle it.

In People with Stable Lupus, Tapering Immunosuppressant Linked to Low Flare Risk

In people with a form of lupus called systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the risk for a severe flare-up of disease was low for both individuals who tapered off long-term immunosuppressive therapy and those who remained on it, a clinical trial has found. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, sponsored and funded the trial. The findings were reported today in the journal The Lancet Rheumatology.

Scientists Identify Interferon-gamma as Potential SARS-CoV-2 Antiviral

Conditioning the lungs with interferon-gamma, a natural immune system protein best known for fighting bacterial infections, appears to be a strong antiviral for SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19

Antibodies Passed through Placenta May Improve Survival for Infants with HIV

Certain antibodies that pass through the placenta are associated with the improved survival of infants who acquire HIV through nursing. A Kenya-based study observed that preexisting antibodies that target a region of a protein on HIV's surface were correlated with delayed HIV acquisition in infants exposed to the virus as well as a lower amount of virus circulating in the blood of infants who acquired HIV.

NIAID Team Explores Metabolism in Determining Infection Severity

The route a pathogen takes in causing infection can determine the severity of disease. NIAID scientists are looking at metabolism to determine how and why there is a difference.

Nobel Prize Awarded for Research Leading to mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines

Earlier this month, the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Drew Weissman, M.D., Ph.D., and Katalin Karikó, Ph.D., for their groundbreaking, decades-long work on messenger RNA (mRNA) that enabled the unprecedented rapid development of the mRNA vaccines that stemmed the COVID-19 pandemic. Both Nobel laureates have connections to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the NIH.

NIAID Workshop Examines Connection between Maternal, Fetal Immune Systems and Improving Reproductive Health

In July, NIAID hosted a workshop of technology developers, immunologists, maternal health researchers and clinicians to explore the importance and challenges of measuring, predicting and improving reproductive health in the context of maternal and fetal immune systems.

Leishmania Parasite Uses Host Antibodies in Insect Vector’s Blood Meal to Breed

It’s a finding perfect for spooky season—inside a bloodsucking insect, a parasite uses the blood of mammals to get more fit to infect unsuspecting people. In this case, the story is more troubling because it’s a real threat. The parasite is Leishmania, which causes leishmaniasis, a primarily tropical and subtropical disease that can cause skin lesions and organ damage, and can be fatal.

Scientists Discuss Prototype Pathogens for Pandemic Preparedness

A special Oct. 19 supplement to the Journal of Infectious Diseases contains nine articles intended as a summary of a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)-hosted pandemic preparedness workshop that featured scientific experts on viral families of pandemic concern.

SARS-CoV-2 in Airway Can Trigger Lung Fibrosis; Potential Treatment Identified

NIAID scientists and colleagues have identified a cause of COVID-induced lung fibrosis, a severe and often fatal result of COVID-19 that leaves lungs scarred, clotted and leathery, and patients struggling to breathe.

The STOMP trial evaluates an antiviral for mpox

NIAID launched the STOMP trial to determine whether the antiviral drug tecovirimat can safely and effectively treat mpox. Watch Dr. Cyrus Javan of NIAID's Division of AIDS explain the importance of the STOMP trial.

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