Dr Jillian Lau of the Doherty Institute and Alfred Health in Melbourne attended the recent IAS (International AIDS Society) HIV Cure and Immunotherapy preconference in Brisbane. Dr Lau also acted as rapporteur for the preconference, along with Ellen Bowden-Reid, a PhD candidate from the Kirby Institute, Sydney. Dr Lau has kindly compiled this report for…
The Australasian HIV&AIDS Conference (commonly known as ASHM after the organiser, the Australasian Society for HIV Medicine) was held online from 16-20 November 2020. Here are some highlights of cure-related presentations. Understanding HIV latency The HIV Cure presentations commenced with Professor Sharon Lewin (Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity). Professor Lewin introduced some of the…
‘Block and lock’ is an emerging option in the pursuit of an HIV cure. Kirby Institute researchers have developed an animated infographic on ‘block and lock’. This clearly describes the groundbreaking work to develop the approach. Watch the short video here: Professor Tony Kelleher spoke about the ‘block and lock’ strategy at the Australasian HIV&AIDS…
The only confirmed case of HIV cure, and two cases of long-term remission without treatment, are the result of stem cell transplants. In this article, we delve into the world of stem cell transplants and how they are being used in people living with HIV. To help, we have developed a transplantation glossary to explain…
For over 12 years, Timothy Ray Brown, known as the ‘Berlin Patient’, has been the only person to be cured of HIV infection. At the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Seattle, researchers have detailed a new case, known as the ‘London Patient’ who may be the second. The case has also been…
What might a functional cure for HIV look like? In a recent study, researchers assumed that HIV reactivation from latency occurs about once per week. They assessed three cure strategies: reducing the HIV reservoir, removing susceptible targets and eliciting immune control. A 1000-fold reservoir reduction would delay viral rebound by 20 years if treatment stopped….
Reducing the persistent stigma and discrimination related to HIV infection drives clinician scientist Jintanat Ananworanich. Her research interests range from HIV infection in children to dissecting the very early stages of HIV infection in adults. We caught up with Dr Ananworanich while she was in Melbourne to deliver a public lecture at the Doherty Institute….
A promising study of a combination approach to HIV cure featured at last month’s Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in the US. The study looked at the impact of a broadly neutralising antibody (bNAb) together with an immune-activating compound in monkeys. Headed by Dan Barouch from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, the…
HIV remission, or long-term HIV control off treatment, is the most likely next step towards an HIV cure. But in the era of effective ART and the U=U (undetectable = untransmissible) message, what would this mean for people living with HIV? Remission discussion We hosted a panel discussion at the 2017 Australasian HIV&AIDS Conference in…
I. Introduction In recent years, a global movement has arisen towards finding a cure for HIV. While we remain many years away from a cure that could be offered to the almost 37 million people living with HIV throughout the world, researchers are exploring a number of approaches that might one day bring an end…
This beautiful photographic essay was compiled by The Alfred in Melbourne, and all credit for this article goes to their amazing teams and the people they care for. This article is shared with permission of The Alfred.
.png)
Working together with researchers and clinicians at The Alfred, members of the community of people living with HIV in Victoria have been integral to progressing ...
