HIV

Dr. Baltimore’s team is exploring a new way of stimulating the immune system to fight infectious diseases, focusing on HIV. The premise of this project is that for some infections, including HIV, the immune system’s natural responses are inherently inadequate, and the traditional approach of using vaccines to stimulate and boost these responses is likely to be ineffective. As an alternative, Dr. Baltimore and his colleagues propose to "engineer immunity," that is, use genetic engineering methods to produce immune cells that will make specific antibodies to fight off infection.

Dr. Shaw is leading a consortium of investigators from clinical and laboratory research sites in Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States. They are conducting a comprehensive, integrated analysis of humoral and cellular responses to HIV-1 in people in early and acute stages of infection. Investigators are basing their work on the hypothesis that HIV-1 leads to chronic, persistent infection rather than a rapidly lethal disease because elements of the human immune system partially constrain viral replication over long periods.

Dr. Shattock and collaborators in the U.K. and South Africa will attempt to develop an HIV vaccine that stimulates immunity to the virus in the lining of the vagina. The investigators hypothesize that an HIV vaccine will be most effective at the site where the virus enters the body. Innovative combinations of vaccine antigen formulas and delivery technologies will be used to develop a potentially potent and effective vaccine. The vaccine will be designed to be delivered via low-cost vaginal gels or via silicone rings that fit inside the vagina and can be self-administered.

Vaccines are urgently needed to slow the spread of HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV), which together infect an estimated 240 million people, most of them in developing countries. To prepare a human vaccine, investigators need an animal model that can help them screen and prioritize vaccine candidates. Dr. Deng and his colleagues are working to improve techniques for creating mouse models with immune systems and livers that are similar enough to humans to allow testing of potential HIV and HCV vaccines.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of liver diseases, including cirrhosis and liver cancer. Treatment for chronic hepatitis C is often out of financial reach for people in developing countries, and there is no vaccine against the virus. To prepare a human vaccine, investigators need an animal model that can help them screen and prioritize vaccine candidates. Dr. Balling's team, partnering with Dr. Di Santo's group at the Institut Pasteur in France, is working toward the development of mice with livers and immune systems that are similar to those of humans.

HIVSmart!

This project will develop, deliver and evaluate a solar powered tablet-based motivational interviewing HIV/Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) intervention at internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Leogane, Haiti. Women from IDP camps will be trained as community health workers to deliver the HIV/STI intervention to women in IDP camps working in collaboration with NEGES, a women’s peanut butter cooperative. Follow Carmen Logie on Twitter @carmenlogie"

In Peru, the national HIV prevention strategy is focused on referrals by educators to local health centers for testing. It is estimated that less than half of the gay community has been tested for HIV and many of them are unaware of their status. A team at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia is developing a platform that sends tailored text messages promoting HIV testing at a health centre. The team aims to reach men visiting niche websites and encourage them to join existing health centre users receiving text reminders about HIV testing.

Protected areas are critical to conservation, but they can result in worse health for adjacent communities. We will develop a mobile health system around Kibale National Park, Uganda. This will involve an ambulance travelling to communities around the park providing health care, family planning, health education, and promoting conservation.

WHO estimates almost half of 46 million blood donations in low-income countries are inadequately tested; in Africa up to 10% of new HIV infections are caused by transfusions. A University of Toronto-developed yeast-based blood screening tool will detect combinations of diseases. Like baking yeast, it can be stored dry, and can be grown locally with minimal equipment and training, improving accessibility in rural areas. We will create a ready-to-use, yeast-based blood screening tool, for simultaneously detecting combinations of diseases.