CFAR Pilot Grant Letters of Intent deadline extended to March 1!

The CFAR Developmental Core Pilot Awards fund scientific studies for 1 year to provide opportunities for training and mentoring of Early Stage HIV/AIDS investigators, as well as seasoned investigators new to the HIV/AIDS field. Required letters of intent are now due March 1st, and applications are due May 1st. See the Duke CFAR Website to learn more.

News from the CFAR

SBS Core Researchers Network with UNC CFAR to Untangle the Quagmire of Stigma

The NIH recognizes that “despite HIV scientific advances, stigma and discrimination continue to be critical barriers to the uptake of evidence-based HIV interventions.” HIV-related stigma research, in addition to being an NIH priority, is a topic of concern and interest for many of our CFAR investigators and for the community members who make up our Duke Collaborative Community Council (D3C).

On Wednesday, January 31st, researchers from Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, RTI International, and FHI 360 joined together to Untangle the Quagmire of Stigma. The joint UNC/Duke CFAR Social and Behavioral Sciences Core networking event was a huge success to meet in person and spark meaningful conversations and connections.

The event included presentations by Dr. Michael Relf, Dean of the Duke University School of Nursing (State of the Science on HIV & Stigma), Dr. Lawrence Yang, Founding Director of NYU’s Global Mental Health and Stigma Program (Stigma measurement), and Dr. Laura Nyblade, Health Policy Fellow at RTI International (Stigma interventions) and was moderated by Dr. Felicia Browne, Senior Research Social Epidemiologist at RTI International and Co-Director of the UNC CFAR SBS Core. Following the presentations and a panel discussion, attendees broke out into table discussions to network based on areas of research interest.

Read this recap on the CFAR website and learn more about the SBS Core.

Recording & Recap Available: Dispatches from the AIDS Epidemic

From a recent DGHI article by Alicia Banks:

In the early 1980s, many Americans had only a vague conception of AIDS, believing the emerging disease to be something that affected just gay men. Then, a 20-month-old child was diagnosed with AIDS after receiving a blood transfusion.  

“The American public was thrown into a panic now that anyone could get AIDS,” recalled Kevin De Cock, M.D., the former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) office in Kenya, during a Think Global event on Feb. 6 at the Duke Global Health Institute. “AIDS was seen as a problem of marginalized groups. It was easy to ignore. The American mainstream media, up until that point, paid little attention to AIDS.” 

The case marked one of many pivotal moments in the early history of AIDS, as scientists and policymakers scrambled to understand and control the epidemic. De Cock was one of them, working on the frontlines of the CDC’s AIDS response. Along with former CDC colleagues James Curran, M.D., and Harold Jaffe, M.D., he has documented that history in a new book, Dispatches From the AIDS Pandemic: A Public Health Story.

De Cock and Curran shared highlights from the book during the DGHI event, tracking the scientific effort to understand the disease and develop prevention and treatment strategies. DGHI Director Chris Beyrer, M.D., who has conducted research on HIV and AIDS for the past three decades, moderated the discussion. Read more.

Watch the event recording and read the recap article.

ISCI Webinar - PrEP Interventions with Black Communities, featuring Dr. Amy Corneli

Friday, February 23, 2024 | 12:30-1:30pm ET| Webinar

Join the Implementation Science Coordination Initiative (ISCI) for their inaugural Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) Initiative Webinar Series: PrEP Interventions with Black Communities, showcasing the remarkable endeavors of EHE Grant Recipients: Drs. Amy Corneli, Jessica Corcoran, and Sannisha Dale. They'll delve into their groundbreaking EHE projects and share invaluable insights on effective collaboration and coordination with community members and partners.

Register for the webinar.

CFAR-wide Webinar - HVTN Vaccine Strategy Update

Monday, February 26, 2024 | 3:30-4:30pm ET| Zoom

The UNC CFAR is excited to have Dr. Larry Corey present on “HVTN vaccine strategy update” at the next CFAR wide webinar. Registration is required.

Register for the webinar.

CERI Virtual Workshop - Gender Equity in Research

Friday, March 1, 2024 | 12-1:30pm ET| Zoom

Speakers: Dane R. Whicker, PhD and Keisha Bentley-Edwards, PhD

The Center for Equity in Research and the Duke Clinical & Translational Science Institute will be sponsoring a transformative workshop focused on the core principles of gender equity in research. Participants will explore the profound impact of a diverse participant pool, emphasizing the significance of LGBTQI+ representation in research.

This training delves into the ethical considerations of using sexual orientation and gender identity data (SOGI)as an inclusion or exclusion criterion, shedding light on potential impacts and implications. Practical best practices are highlighted, encompassing the use of accurate language, implementing a two-step method for gender data collection, and addressing interpersonal communication mistakes with recovery strategies. Participants will leave equipped with essential tools for conducting scientifically robust and ethically sound research in a more inclusive and respectful manner. The workshop is ideal for faculty, research staff, trainees, students, and community researchers who seek to develop more equitable research.

Participants who attend for more than 60 minutes are also eligible to receive RCR-200 credit. This session is also offering 1 Continuing Education Credit: ANCC, Attendance, JA Credit - AH through Duke Continuing Medical Education. Participants can claim both credits if eligible.

Register for the workshop.

Register by Feb 26 for the Assays Workshops - Quantitative Methods for HIV Researchers

Mondays in March and April | 1-4pm ET | Hock Plaza

The Quantitative Methods for HIV Researchers workshop series is designed to provide HIV researchers with the quantitative skills necessary for analysis of large, complex data sets resulting from assays such as single-cell RNA-seq, flow cytometry, fMRI, etc. These NIH-funded workshops are open to graduate students, postdocs, medical fellows, staff and faculty. Non-Duke-affiliated applicants are welcome.

Each workshop in the Assays series will focus on one assay type, and you are encouraged to sign up for as many as you like. Attendance in Part I / Part II workshops or other demonstrated competence in R is required. The workshops will be taught in person at Hock Plaza on Mondays from 1 – 4PM.

Register for the workshops.

Immunology Core Workshop - Sequence Analysis with Dr. Elena Giorgi

Thursday, March 14, 2024 | 9am-12pm ET| Carmichael Building Room 47-215

Whether you are working with SARS-CoV-2, HIV-1, or any other viral pathogen, sequence analysis has become an important tool in many aspects of virology and immunology: from understanding viral evolution, transmission, and emergence of drug and/or antibody resistance, to designing novel vaccine immunogens and clinical interventions.

This workshop will provide a step-by-step guideline on how to use sequence visualization and analysis tools available from the LANL database to build a pipeline from sequence reads to phylogenetic trees. Highlights include: creating a sequence alignment, visualizing sequence diversity, setting up a genetic signature analysis, and searching the LANL sequence and antibody databases. Examples and hands-on exercises will be provided. While most will be using HIV env sequences, the analysis pipeline and tools can be applied to any pathogen. For HCV and SARS-CoV-2 tailored versions of the tools are available.

This workshop will be held in room 47-215 of the Carmichael Bldg and will be IN-PERSON ONLY. Registration will be limited to the first 30 registrants.

Learn more and register for the workshop.

Immunology Core Workshop - Visualizing and Interpreting Macromolecular Structural Models

Friday, March 29, 2024 | 9am-12pm ET| TSCHE Classroom 3 (In-person interaction) or Virtual Webinar (observation only)

Macromolecular structure visualization is an essential step in understanding protein function at the atomic level. Directly visualizing macromolecular interactions, macromolecule shape, and small molecule interactions can provide important mechanistic insight into structure-function relationships that can in turn drive experimental design.

This full-day workshop will equip researchers with the skills necessary to identify already determined macromolecular structures, prepare theoretical structures, and visualize those structures using popular tools in structural biology. Importantly, all tools and databases needed for this work are well maintained and available freely to academic researchers.

Learn more and register for the workshop.

Challenges and opportunities for improving mental health care and preventing suicide among people living with HIV: Perspectives of mental health professionals in Tanzania.

Knippler ET, Martinez AJ, Amiri I, Madundo K, Mmbaga BT, Goldston DB, Relf MV, Knettel BA.

PLOS Glob Public Health. 2024 Feb 16;4(2):e0002762. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002762. eCollection 2024.

A profound absence of counseling interventions for suicide prevention among youth in Africa: A call to action based on an empty scoping review.

Knettel BA, Obale A, Iqbal H, Fotabong MC, Philippe NN, Graton M, Ledbetter L.

Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2024 Jan 12. doi: 10.1111/sltb.13041. Online ahead of print.

High monoclonal neutralization titers reduced breakthrough HIV-1 viral loads in the Antibody Mediated Prevention trials.

Reeves DB, Mayer BT, deCamp AC, Huang Y, Zhang B, Carpp LN, Magaret CA, Juraska M, Gilbert PB, Montefiori DC, Bar KJ, Cardozo-Ojeda EF, Schiffer JT, Rossenkhan R, Edlefsen P, Morris L, Mkhize NN, Williamson C, Mullins JI, Seaton KE, Tomaras GD, Andrew P, Mgodi N, Ledgerwood JE, Cohen MS, Corey L, Naidoo L, Orrell C, Goepfert PA, Casapia M, Sobieszczyk ME, Karuna ST, Edupuganti S.

Nat Commun. 2023 Dec 14;14(1):8299. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-43384-y.

Multivariate analysis of FcR-mediated NK cell functions identifies unique clustering among humans and rhesus macaques.

Tuyishime M, Spreng RL, Hueber B, Nohara J, Goodman D, Chan C, Barfield R, Beck WE, Jha S, Asdell S, Wiehe K, He MM, Easterhoff D, Conley HE, Hoxie T, Gurley T, Jones C, Adhikary ND, Villinger F, Thomas R, Denny TN, Moody MA, Tomaras GD, Pollara J, Reeves RK, Ferrari G.

Front Immunol. 2023 Dec 6;14:1260377. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1260377. eCollection 2023.

Sutterella and its metabolic pathways positively correlate with vaccine-elicited antibody responses in infant rhesus macaques.

Jiang D, Goswami R, Dennis M, Heimsath H, Kozlowski PA, Ardeshir A, Van Rompay KKA, De Paris K, Permar SR, Surana NK.

Front Immunol. 2023 Dec 6;14:1283343. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1283343. eCollection 2023.

A Quantitative Framework for Medication Non-Adherence: Integrating Patient Treatment Expectations and Preferences.

Muiruri C, van den Broek-Altenburg EM, Bosworth HB, Cené CW, Gonzalez JM.

Patient Prefer Adherence. 2023 Dec 4;17:3135-3145. doi: 10.2147/PPA.S434640. eCollection 2023.

Host immunity associated with spontaneous suppression of viremia in therapy-naïve young rhesus macaques following neonatal SHIV infection.

Evangelous TD, Berry M, Venkatayogi S, LeMaster C, Geanes ES, De Naeyer N, DeMarco T, Shen X, Li H, Hora B, Solomonis N, Misamore J, Lewis MG, Denny TN, Montefiori D, Shaw GM, Wiehe K, Bradley T, Williams WB.

J Virol. 2023 Nov 30;97(11):e0109423. doi: 10.1128/jvi.01094-23. Epub 2023 Oct 24.

PMID: 37874153 Free PMC article.

Conjugation of HIV-1 envelope to hepatitis B surface antigen alters vaccine responses in rhesus macaques.

Nettere D, Unnithan S, Rodgers N, Nohara J, Cray P, Berry M, Jones C, Armand L, Li SH, Berendam SJ, Fouda GG, Cain DW, Spence TN, Granek JA, Davenport CA, Edwards RJ, Wiehe K, Van Rompay KKA, Moody MA, Permar SR, Pollara J.

NPJ Vaccines. 2023 Nov 24;8(1):183. doi: 10.1038/s41541-023-00775-y.

PMID: 38001122 Free PMC article.

Six month incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events among adults with HIV in northern Tanzania: a prospective observational study.

Stark K, O'Leary PRE, Sakita FM, Ford JS, Mmbaga BT, Blass B, Gedion K, Coaxum LA, Rutta A, Galson SW, Rugakingira A, Manavalan P, Bloomfield GS, Hertz JT.

BMJ Open. 2023 Nov 19;13(11):e075275. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-075275.

PMID: 37984949 Free PMC article.

Development and validation of a colorimetric antifungal susceptibility testing method for the dimorphic fungus Talaromyces marneffei.

Thu NTM, Borda H, Vitsupakorn S, Reddy KS, Kasmani N, Barwatt J, Schwartz IS, Giamberardino C, Perfect JR, Hoa NT, Le T.

Med Mycol. 2023 Nov 6;61(11):myad111. doi: 10.1093/mmy/myad111.

Validation of a culturally sensitive, Swahili-translated instrument to assess suicide risk among adults living with HIV in Tanzania.

Minja L, Knettel BA, Pan W, Madundo K, Amiri I, Joel L, Knippler E, Relf MV, Vissoci JRN, Staton CA, Msoka EF, Tarimo CS, Katiti V, Mmbaga BT, Goldston DB.

Glob Ment Health (Camb). 2023 Oct 5;10:e67. doi: 10.1017/gmh.2023.59. eCollection 2023.

Mathematical Modeling of Rhesus Cytomegalovirus Transplacental Transmission in Seronegative Rhesus Macaques.

Gong Y, Moström M, Otero C, Valencia S, Tarantal AF, Kaur A, Permar SR, Chan C.

Viruses. 2023 Oct 1;15(10):2040. doi: 10.3390/v15102040.

AZD5582 plus SIV-specific antibodies reduce lymph node viral reservoirs in antiretroviral therapy-suppressed macaques.

Dashti A, Sukkestad S, Horner AM, Neja M, Siddiqi Z, Waller C, Goldy J, Monroe D, Lin A, Schoof N, Singh V, Mavigner M, Lifson JD, Deleage C, Tuyishime M, Falcinelli SD, King HAD, Ke R, Mason RD, Archin NM, Dunham RM, Safrit JT, Jean S, Perelson AS, Margolis DM, Ferrari G, Roederer M, Silvestri G, Chahroudi A.

Nat Med. 2023 Oct;29(10):2535-2546. doi: 10.1038/s41591-023-02570-7. Epub 2023 Oct 2.

"I am not alone with tears": embodying stigma and longing among youth living with perinatally acquired HIV in Tanzania through a collaborative arts-based approach.

Hosaka KRJ, Mandewo D, Mmbaga BT, Ngowi H, Dow DE, Stewart KA; Sanaa ya Vijana Youth Collaborative.

Med Humanit. 2023 Sep;49(3):396-406. doi: 10.1136/medhum-2022-012477. Epub 2022 Dec 16.

PMID: 36526410 Free PMC article.

Divergent preferences for enhanced HIV testing options among high-risk populations in northern Tanzania: a short report.

Ostermann J, Njau B, Hobbie AM, Mtuy TB, Masnick M, Brown DS, Mühlbacher AC, Thielman NM.

AIDS Care. 2023 Sep;35(9):1270-1278. doi: 10.1080/09540121.2022.2119471. Epub 2022 Sep 5.

Culturally-informed adaptation and psychometric properties of the Cataldo Cancer Stigma Scale in Northern Tanzania.

Knettel B, Minja L, Msoka E, Tarimo C, Katiti V, Pan W, Mwobobia J, Juhlin E, Knippler E, Watt M, Suneja G, Kimani S, Abouelella D, Mmbaga B, Osazuwa-Peters N.

J Psychosoc Oncol. 2023 Aug 3:1-13. doi: 10.1080/07347332.2023.2241458. Online ahead of print.

PMID: 37534869

Concurrent Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing Among Patients Tested for Mpox at a Tertiary Healthcare System.

Mourad A, Alavian N, Woodhouse EW, Niehaus E, Cunningham H, Zavala S, Kohler P, Pappas S, Yarrington M, Okeke NL, Wolfe CR, Cox GM, Dicks KV, Stout JE.

Open Forum Infect Dis. 2023 Jul 17;10(8):ofad381. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofad381. eCollection 2023 Aug.

Don't see your paper listed? Make sure your publication is linked to the CFAR grant for funding. Visit the CFAR website for example text to use when acknowledging the CFAR and assistance by its Cores in your publications, abstracts, grant proposals, and presentations.

Special thanks to Eno the cat for his assistance with this week's newsletter.

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