Welcome to the September issue of the ARI email newsletter. This newsletter features information pertinent to researchers and staff engaged in HIV/AIDS research at the University of California, San Francisco, and its community partners.
News from:
Teaching Award purpose: The diverse programs of the AIDS Research Institute throughout UCSF have a rich tradition of aiding and encouraging young scientists in their education and career development through teaching.
Teaching Awards are intended for: Those members of the campus community who have performed extraordinary service in teaching at all levels within the University to students, fellows, interns, and junior faculty involved in HIV/AIDS research and clinical care. Candidates for the Sarlo Award should be individuals who, in their roles as instructors, have proven exceptional in their commitment and ability to stimulate, nurture, and inspire young minds.
Award: Award amount is $5,000 for one year and can be used for unrestricted purposes to benefit the teaching and related needs of applicants.
Nomination guidelines: Nominations can be submitted by anyone in the campus community, including the junior faculty, fellows, interns, and students taught by the nominee. Nominations should consist of a nomination letter and a curriculum vita of the nominee.
Reviewers will evaluate Teaching Awards nominations for:
* Strength of nominee's experience in the AIDS field
* Suitability for teaching
* Relevance to AIDS
Submission and Deadline: Nominations must be submitted to the Sarlo Award Committee, c/o David Robb, UCSF Box 0886, by 5:00 pm Friday, October 1, 2004. Nominees will be notified of the outcome of their nominations by November 1, 2004.
b. ARI fundraising event: Dining by Design
Thursday, Nov. 18
ELLE DECOR'S Dining By Design,
Presented by Champagne Taittinger
6:30 p.m. to midnight at Exhibition Concourse,
San Francisco Design Center, 7th Street at Brannan
Produced by DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS
"Over the top tabletop" featuring champagne reception, silent auction, dinner and dancing.
9:00 p.m. Champagne Taittinger Bubble Blast Dessert Party
For information or tickets, call (415) 597-8164 or email Randall Shields.
Benefiting UCSF Positive Health Program
The gala brings together the genius of designers of everything from frocks to furniture to create extraordinary, lavish, and romantic dining environments. Designers are given an 11' x 11' space with a table and ten chairs. From there, creative genius takes over! The room becomes a gallery of magnificent, temporary art installations.
Guests will enjou delicious hors d'oeuvres and drink while strolling through the hall to see the creative table decors and Silent Auction items. A seated dinner follows, culminating with a spectacular Champagne Taittinger Bubble Blast Dessert and Dance Party.
c. World AIDS Day Concert
We invite and encourage your participation in the World AIDS Day concert on December 1 at the Most Holy Redeemer Church, 500 Diamond Street. A portion of the program will be dedicated to thanking the UCSF scientists and caregivers who have had such a positive impact of the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS. We hope to have a large number of UCSF people there to participate in the program, which is organized by the Interfaith Committee of the ARI Leadership Council. Music for the event will be provided by the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus.
Save the date on your calendar now. Thanks, and hope to see you there!
Randy Shields
ARI Acting Development Director
Wednesday, Dec. 1
World AIDS Day Musical Concert
7:00 p.m., Most Holy Redeemer Church, 500 Diamond Street
An Evening of Remembrance, Hope, and Thanks to UCSF scientists and caregivers for ongoing work in HIV/AIDS
Featuring music by the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus
Produced by the ARI Leadership Council Interfaith Committee
For information or tickets, call (415) 597-8164
Benefiting the UCSF ARI Breakthrough Fund
d. Update on ARI's Strategic Planning Process
Upon assuming the role of Interim ARI Director just over a year ago, Dr. John Greenspan initiated a fact-finding series of some 70 meetings with key ARI constituents, both in small groups and one-on-one. This was followed by a full-day retreat in September 2003 to help shape the future of ARI. On the recommendation of Dean David Kessler, Dr. Greenspan assumed the role of ARI Director in February of this year. Since that time, further planning retreats were held to inform the scientific direction-setting process, identify priorities, and determine how to operationalize those priorities.
ARI has completed a rigorous scientific and operational strategic planning process over the past year, culminating in a meeting of its Transitional Leadership Council on September 23. This group identified and agreed on an implementation plan of key activities and functions.
Six priority activity areas were identified, with ARI providing a coordinating function via-à-vis its constituent groups in a "shared resource" model. In summary, those main functions are (1) Fundraising, (2) Communications, (3) Public Relations, (4) Capacity Building (training, recruitment, and mentoring), (5) Advocacy/Leadership, and (6) Stimulation and Fostering of Science. Subsequent meetings of the core ARI staff have identified the specific roles and actions required to fulfill ARI's mission. A Staff Council, Member Services Council, and related ad-hoc committees will be set up in coming weeks to move forward with these acrivities. A Joint Study Section Committee comprised of CFAR-CAPS-CARC/ARI has met and laid out plans for a joint application/review process.
For further information, contact Mario Moreno.
e. Bay Area National Latino AIDS Awareness Day
Bay Area National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (BANLAAD), coordinated nationally by the Latino Commission on AIDS, is made possible in part through a donation from the AIDS Research Institute at UCSF. The second annual National Latino AIDS Awareness Day, October 15, 2004, marks a national day of awareness and prevention against HIV/AIDS in the Latino community. The local theme, "It Affects Us All," complements the national campaign slogan, "Open Your Eyes, HIV Has No Borders."
View a press release and list of local activities.
These will be competing supplements to our parent grant and will focus on science rather than infrastructure. Given the grant size, up to $150,000 in direct costs, LOI responses should be for projects that resemble a small RO-1 or a project from a Program Project Grant. Solicited applications will be due at the CFAR Administrative office by close of business November 15, therefore, LOIs for projects already well organized and able to cite work in progress will be the most likely candidates for submission. Completed applications will be due to the NIH on Dec. 10, 2004.
Please download our Request for Letter of Intent (LOI) for more details.
b. Save the Date: 8th Annual Research Symposium to Focus on Emerging Concepts in Antiretroviral Therapy
The UCSF-GIVI CFAR Eighth Annual Research Symposium, "Emerging Concepts in Antiretroviral Therapy," will take place January 12-13 (Wednesday and Thursday), 2005. This two-day program will be held in the auditorium of the new J. David Gladstone Institutes building at Mission Bay. Registration will open in mid-November. Pre-registration at that time is strongly advised due to seating capacity in the auditorium. A proposed program can be viewed on our web site. For additional symposium information, please call the symposium coordinator, Loren Dobkin, at 415-379-5602, extension 1.
Written Clinic Procedures Enhance Delivery of HIV 'Prevention with Positives' Counseling in Primary Health Care Settings (Presented at the 2004 Ryan White Care Act Grantees Conference, PowerPoint presentation)
Fatalism Among Providers Reduces the Frequency of 'Prevention with Positives' Counseling (Presented at the 2004 Ryan White Care Act Grantees Conference, PowerPoint presentation)
Madison Prevention with Positives (Eddie Edmondson, University of Washington-Seattle, Presented at the 2004 Ryan White Care Act Grantees Conference, PowerPoint presentation)
Project ROADMAP (Lourdes Illa, University of Miami, Presented at the 2004 Ryan White Care Act Grantees Conference, PowerPoint presentation)
Can Results from Computerized Risk Assessment Help Providers Deliver More Effective Risk Reduction Counseling? (Mollie Jenckes, Johns Hopkins University, Presented at the 2004 Ryan White Care Act Grantees Conference, PowerPoint presentation)
The Protect and Respect Project (Michelle Teti, Drexel University, Presented at the 2004 Ryan White Care Act Grantees Conference, PowerPoint presentation)
Supporting Healthy Alternatives through Patient Education: SHAPE Project (Steve Trujillo, El Rio Health Center/Special Immunology Associates, Presented at the 2004 Ryan White Care Act Grantees Conference, PowerPoint presentation)
b. New Brazil country profile posted
APRC's Country AIDS Policy Analysis Project, funded by USAID and the International Training and Education Center on HIV (I-TECH), has added a 10th country profile to its web site. View the Brazil profile (PDF).
The Gladstone Institutes team, led by postdoctoral fellow Gilad Doitsh of the Greene Lab, raised $7,420 in support of this year's AIDS Walk event.
Marielle Cavrois, Postdoctoral Fellow, Greene Lab
UARP Fellowship, 11/1/03-10/31/05
Analysis of HIV-1 Fusion to Primary Cells
Robert Grant, Associate Investigator
NIH R01 12/1/03-11/30/04
Regulation of Triacylglycerol Synthesis
Jason Kreisberg, BMS Graduate Student, Greene Lab
UARP Fellowship, 11/1/03-10/31/05
How HIV Infects Resting CD4 T Cells in Lymphoid Organs
Laura Napolitano, Assistant Investigator
UCSF REAC Grant, 12/1/03-11/30/04
The Use of Recombinant Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 to Enhance T Cell Production and Function in HIV-Infected Adults
Sara Pagans Lista, Postdoctoral Fellow, Verdin Lab
Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte Fellowship, 10/31/03-10/30/05
Papel de la Interaccion TAT-PCAF en la Transcripcion del HIV-1
Ya-Lin Chi, Postdoctoral Fellow, Greene Lab
AmFAR Fellowship, 3/1/04-2/28/05
Assembly of Large APOBEC3G-RNA Complexes: A Target for Vif?
Douglas Nixon, Associate Investigator
NIH/NIAID R21, 3/1/04-2/28/06
T Regulatory Cells in HIV Infection
Fatema Legrand, Postdoctoral Fellow, Nixon Lab
UC President's Postdoctoral Fellowship, 7/1/04-6/30/05
Aandahl EM, Michaelson J, Moretto WJ, Hecht FM, Nixon DF. Human CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells control T-cell responses to human immunodeficiency virus and cytomegalovirus antigens. J. Virol. 78:2454-2459, 2004.
Aandahl EM, Quigley MF, Moretto WJ, Moll M, Gonzalez VD, Sönnerborg A, Lindbäck S, Hecht FM, Deeks SG, Rosenberg MG, Nixon DF, Sandberg JK. Expansion of CD7low and CD7negative CD8 T cell effector subsets in HIV-1 infection: Correlation with antigenic loand and reversion by antiretroviral treatment. Blood DOI 10.1182/blood-2004-07-2540, 2004.
Angel JB, Hu YW, Kravcik S, Tsui R, Lee KH, Barbour J, Balaskas E, Branson BM, Delwart EL, Grant RM. Virological evaluation of the 'Ottawa case' indicates no evidence for HIV-1 superinfection. AIDS 18:331-334, 2004.
Barbour JD, Hecht FM, Wrin T, Segal MR, Ramstead CA, Liegler TJ, Busch MP, Petropoulos CJ, Hellmann NS, Kahn JO, Grant RM. Higher CD4+ T cell counts associated with low viral pol replication capacity among treatment-naive adults in early HIV-1 infection. J. Infect. Dis. 190:251-256, 2004.
Barbour JD, Grant RM. The clinical implications of reduced viral fitness. Curr. Infect. Dis. Rep. 6:151-158, 2004.
Barbour JD, Hecht FM, Wrin T, Liegler TJ, Ramstead CA, Busch MP, Segal MR, Petropoulos CJ, Grant RM. Persistence of primary drug resistance among recently HIV-1 infected adults. AIDS 18:1683-1689, 2004.
Bohuslav J, Chen L-F, Kwon H, Mu Y, Greene WC. p53 induces NF-kB activation by an IkB kinase-independent mechanism involving phosphorylation of p65 by ribosomal S6 kinase 1. J. Biol. Chem. 279:26115-26125, 2004.
Brilot F, Geenen V, Hober D, Stoddart CA. Coxsackievirus B4 infection of human fetal thymus cells J. Virol. 78:9854-9861, 2004.
Burton DR, Desrosiers RC, Doms RW, Feinberg MB, Gallo RC, Hahn B, Hoxie JA, Hunter E, Korber B, Landay A, Lederman MM, Lieberman J, McCune JM, Moore JP, Nathanson N, Picker L, Richman D, Rinaldo C, Stevenson M, Watkins DI, Wolinksky SM, Zack JA. Public health. A sound rationale needed for phase III HIV-1 vaccine trials. Science 303:316, 2004.
Busch R, Cesar D, Higuera-Alhino D, Gee T, Hellerstein MK, McCune JM. Isolation of peripheral blood CD4(+) T cells using RosetteSep and MACS for studies of DNA turnover by deuterium labeling. J. Immunol. Methods 286:97-109, 2004.
Cavrois M, Neidleman J, Bigos M, Greene WC. Fluorescence resonance energy-based HIV-1 virion fusion assay. In: Flow Cytometry Protocols (Hawley TS, Hawley RG, eds), Humana Press, Totowa, NJ, pp. 333-343, 2004.
Cavrois M, Neidleman J, Yonemoto W, Fenard D, Greene WC. HIV-1 virion fusion assay: Uncoating not required and no effect of Nef on fusion. Virology. 328:36-44, 2004.
Chandwani R, Jordan KA, Shacklett BL, Papasavvas E, Montaner LJ, Rosenberg MG, Nixon DF, Sandberg JK. Limited magnitude and breadth in the HLA-A2-restricted CD8 T-cell response to Nef in children with vertically acquired HIV-1 infection. Scand. J. Immunol. 59:109-114, 2004.
Chen L-f, Greene WC. Shaping the nuclear action of NF-kB. Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 5:392-401, 2004.
Chow LM, Capra M, Levichek Z, Koren G, Grant RM. Toxic indigestion of 6-mercaptopurine by young siblings of pediatric oncology patients. J. Pediatr. 144:669-671, 2004.
Deeks SG, Martin JN, Sinclair E, Harris J, Neilands TB, Maecker HT, Hagos E, Wrin T, Petropoulos CJ, Bredt B, McCune JM. Strong cell-mediated immune responses are associated with the maintenance of low-level viremia in antiretroviral-treated individuals with drug-resistant human immunodeficiency virus type 1. J. Infect. Dis. 189:312-321, 2004.
Greene WC, Chen L-f. Regulation of NF-kB action by reversible acetylation. In: Reversible Protein Acetylation: Novartis Foundation Symposium No. 259, John Wiley & Sons Ltd., Chichester, UK. 208-222, 2004.
Greene WC. How resting T cells deMURR HIV infection. Nat. Immunol. 5:18-19, 2004.
Greene WC. Redistricting the retroviral restriction factors. Nat. Med. 10:770-780, 2004.
Greene WC. The brightening future of HIV therapeutics. Nat. Immunol. 5:867-871, 2004.
Gross KL, Porco TC, Grant RM. HIV-1 superinfection and viral diversity. AIDS 18:1513-1520, 2004.
Karlsson AC, Younger SR, Martin JN, Grossman Z, Sinclair E, Hunt PW, Hagos E, Nixon DF, Deeks SG. Immunologic and virologic evolution during periods of intermittent and persistent low-level viremia. AIDS 18:981-989, 2004.
Karlsson RK, Jennes W, Page-Shafer K, Nixon DF, Shacklett BL. Poorly soluble peptides can mimic authentic ELLISPOT responses. J. Immunol. Methods 285:89-92, 2004.
Kreisberg JF, Doitsh G, Greene WC. Mechanisms of HIV-induced killing of infected and uninfected T-cells. In: Cell Death in HIV Infection (Badley AD, ed.), CRC Press, London, UK. In press.
Lee MS, Hanspers K, Barker CS, Korn AP, McCune JM. Gene expression profiles during human CD4+ T cell differentiation. Int. Immunol. 16:1109-1124, 2004.
Meiklejohn DA, Karlsson RK, Karlsson AC, Chapman JM, Nixon DF, Schweighardt B. ELISPOT cell rescue. J. Immunol. Methods 288:135-147, 2004.
North B, Verdin E. Sirtuins: Sir2-related NAD-dependent protein deacetylases. Genome Biol. 5:224, 2004.
O'Mahony A, Montano M, Van Beneden K, Chen L-F, Greene WC. Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 tax induction of biologically active NF-kB requires IkB kinase-1-mediated phosphorylation of RelA/p65. J. Biol. Chem. 279:18137-18145, 2004.
Ott M, Dorr A, Hetzer-Egger C, Kaehlcke K, Schnolzer M, Henklein P, Cole P, Zhou MM, Verdin E. Tat acetylation: a regulatory switch between early and late phases in HIV transcription elongation. In: Reversible Protein Acetylation: Novartis Foundation Symposium No. 259, John Wiley & Sons Ltd., Chichester, UK. 182-193, 2004.
Plana M, Garcia F, Oxenius A, Ortiz GM, Lopez A, Cruceta A, Mestre G, Fumero E, Fagard C, Sambeat MA, Segura F, Miro JM, Arnedo M, Lopalcos L, Pumarola T, Hirschel B, Phillips RE, Nixon DF, Gallart T, Gatelll JM. Relevance of HIV-1-specific CD4+ helper T-cell responses during structured treatment interruptions in patients with CD4+ T-cell nadir above 400/mm. J. Acquir. Immune Defic. Syndr. 36:791-799, 2004.
Porco TC, Martin JN, Page-Shafer KA, Cheng A, Charlebois E, Grant RM, Osmond DH. Decline in HIV infectivity following the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy. AIDS 18:81-88, 2004.
Ramsburg E, Rode NF, Marx PA, Mefford M, Nixon DF, Moretto WJ, Montefiori D, Earl P, Moss B, Rose JK. Highly effective control of an AIDS virus challenge in macaques by using vesicular stomatitis virus and modified vaccina virus Ankara vaccine vectors in a single-boost protocol. J. Virol. 78:3930-3940, 2004.
Sandberg JK, Stoddart CA, Brilot F, Jordan KA, Nixon DF. Development of innate CD4+ a-chain variable gene segment 24 (Va24) natural killer T cells in the early human fetal thymus is regulated by IL-7. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101:7058-7063, 2004.
Schaeffer E, Soros VB, Greene WC. Compensatory link between fusion and endocytosis of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in human CD4 T lymphocytes. J. Virol. 78:1375-1383, 2004.
Schwer B, Ren S, Kartenbeck J, Kaehlcke K, Pietschmann T, Bartenschlager R, Yen T, Ott M. Targeting of hepatitis C virus core protein to mitochondria through a novel C-terminal localization motif. J. Virol.78:7958-7968, 2004.
Shacklett BL, Cox CA, Quigley MF, Kreis C, Stollman NH, Jacobson MA, Andersson J, Sandberg JK, Nixon DF. Abundant expression of granzyme A, but not perforin, in granules of CD8+ T cells in GALT: implications for immune control of HIV-1 infection. J. Immunol.173:641-648, 2004.
Shacklett BL, Cox CA, Wilkens DT, Karlsson KR, Nilsson A, Nixon DF, Price RW. Increased adhesion molecule and chemokine receptor expression on CD8+ T cells trafficking to cerebrospinal fluid in HIV-1 iinfection. J. Inf. Dis. 189:2002-2012, 2004.
Tsui R, Herring BL, Barbour JD, Grant RM, Bacchetti P, Kral A, Edlin BR, Delwart EL. Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 superinfection was not detected following 215 years of injection drug user exposure. J. Virol.78:94-103, 2004.
Verdin E, Fischle W, Heltweg B, Jung M, Marshall B, North B. Measurement of mammalian histone deacetylase activity. Methods Enzymol.377:180-196, 2004.
Verdin E, Dequiedt F, Kasler H. HDAC7 regulates apoptosis in developing thymocytes. In: Reversible Protein Acetylation: Novartis Foundation Symposium No. 259, John Wiley & Sons Ltd., Chichester, UK. 115-131, 2004.
Williams SA, Chen L-F, Kwon H, Fenard D, Bisgrove D, Verdin E, Greene WC. Prostratin antagonizes HIV latency by activating NF-kB. J. Biol. Chem. In press.
Diane V. Havlir, M.D., whose original studies have had a substantial impact on the care of patients with HIV infection, is the recipient of the HIV Medicine Association's 2004 HIV Research Achievement Award. The HIV Research Achievement Award recognizes an HIVMA member who is 50 years of age or younger and has made outstanding contributions in clinical or basic research to HIV medicine. The award is based on overall achievement and requires demonstration of significant independent research and productivity. Dr. Havlir is professor of medicine, chief of the Positive Health Program (formerly the Division of AIDS), and principal investigator for the Adult AIDS Clinical Trials Group at the University of California, San Francisco.
Described as a leader in the field of HIV/AIDS research, Dr. Havlir has distinguished herself as a productive independent researcher in the area of HIV therapeutics. Since completing her residency at the University of California, San Francisco, in 1987 and her infectious diseases training at Case Western University Hospital in 1990, she has amassed an outstanding record of scholarly achievement in HIV research. Her research has focused on the areas of drug resistance, viral dynamics, and therapeutic strategies.
Dr. Havlir's early studies provided the first detailed descriptions of HIV drug resistance to nevirapine and helped to define some of the early parameters of viral dynamics. She and her colleagues subsequently conducted a series of studies that defined the reservoirs of latently infected CD4 in treated patients and characterized the relations of drug resistance and viral evolution between viral burden and evolution in blood, lymph nodes, and cerebrospinal fluid in treated patients. Dr. Havlir was the first to show that viral rebound in HIV disease during treatment with combination therapy was often associated with wild type virus-a finding that directly affected the day-to-day management of HIV infection by bringing about changes in drug sequencing strategies.
In addition to her standout role as one of the most productive investigators in the AIDS Clinical Trials Group, Dr. Havlir has helped to mentor new investigators within the organization and has distinguished herself as a role model for physicians interested in careers in clinical investigation. Her commitment to research and to training new investigators has earner her award recognition in the past, and HIVMA is proud to add the inaugural HIV Research Achievement Award to Dr. Havlir's distinguished list of accolades.
The UCSF Women's Global Health Imperative (WGHI) was recently awarded two new research grants/contracts. These are:
California-International STI Consortium (CISC); Craig Cohen, M.D.-Principal Investigator
This is a 7-year $20mil NIAID contract to develop and manage a clinical trials network for Phase I, II, and III trials on STI diagnostics, vaccines, and microbicides. Under the direction of Dr. Craig Cohen, UCSF will lead the consortium, which includes the SF Department of Public Health, UCLA, the LA Department of Health Services, the CA Department of Health Services, The University of Toronto, The National Institute of Public Health (Mexico), the Kenya Medical Research Institute, the University of Zimbabwe, the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hanoi Medical University, and the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (Brazil). For more information, please contact Craig Cohen.
Exploratory Center in Behavioral Economic Epidemiology; Nancy Padian, Ph.D. (UCSF), Paul Gertler, Ph.D. (UCB), Tom Coates, Ph.D. (UCLA)-Co-Principal Investigators.
The Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy
Program: One-year, degree-granting, full-time fellowship from July 2005 to June 2006. Prepares physicians for leadership roles in minority health/public health policy. Leads to MPH at
Qualifications: U.S. citizenship; board eligible or certified physicians; experience in minority health issues; interest in health policy and public health; strong academic and leadership skills; intention to pursue career in public health, health policy, or academia.
Funding: $50,000 stipend; tuition and fees; health insurance; other program expenses.
b. Fellowship: Fogarty/Ellison International Research Fellowship
I call your attention to an exciting clinical research training experience for graduate level U.S. students in the health professions. The NIH's Fogarty International Center (FIC), with support from the Ellison Medical Foundation, is sponsoring the program, which is being managed by the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Association of Schools of Public Health.
The program is offering a one-year clinical research training experience for graduate level U.S. students in the health professions. This is an opportunity for highly motivated individuals to experience mentored research training at top-ranked NIH-funded research centers in a diverse group of countries, such as Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, China, Haiti, India, Kenya, Mali, Peru, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, and Zambia.
The one-year Fellowships will begin with an intensive orientation program on the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD, in July 2005. This will be followed by approximately 10+ months of intense research training at the foreign site.
Please help us to spread the word about these highly competitive awards. Our goal is to reach as many advanced degree nursing students as possible. Applications will be available August 1, 2004 and are due by January 7,
2005. To learn more, please visit our web site.
David Korn, M.D. Senior Vice President, Biomedical and Health Sciences Research
c. Project Inform community event
A Vision of Hope: AIDS research in the coming decade
FREE Community Forum
Date: October 14, 2004
Time: 6:30-8:30 pm
Location: San Francisco LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street, San Francisco
Event Information contact: Judy Leahy at 415-558-8669, x213
Project Inform Community Event on Latest in HIV Research
There has been little headline news announcing significant advances in basic HIV research since the advent of potent anti-HIV therapies nearly 10 years ago. While these treatments have bought many people living with HIV/AIDS additional time, they are far from a cure. Moreover, the growing complacency within many communities affected by HIV/AIDS, which is reinforced by the mainstream media, has led to the misconception that HIV disease is easily managed, frustrating AIDS researchers and advocates alike.
"If there was one lesson we learned in the first two decades of our activism, it is that we get only what we demand and fight for," according to Martin Delaney, Founding Director of Project Inform. "As the cry for a cure has become but a faint echo, so too does the hope that one will be found."
Many commonly asked questions that were so important just a few years ago are not being answered or even addressed in today's environment. Are there treatments on the horizon that will work differently and be less toxic? Will HIV ever leave my body? When can I expect a cure? Why is finding a cure so difficult?
As it enters its 20th year, Project Inform is planning a Community Forum to rekindle this important dialogue about the future of HIV research. A panel discussion, led by award winning author Laurie Garrett (The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance and Betrayal of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public Health), and featuring world renowned HIV experts. The group will explore the next frontiers in scientific and medical research, treatment, and care. Confirmed panel members include:
Since 1985, Project Inform has served as a beacon of hope for all individuals affected by HIV/AIDS who rely on us for information about optimal tre