MHRP and partners across four continents recently launched a new collaborative HIV cure research initiative called DELIVER, or Developing Leadership and Innovation in Viral Eradication Research.
DELIVER will focus on developing laboratory and clinical site infrastructure to build capacity to conduct long-term HIV remission studies in countries most impacted by HIV.
MHRP partners in Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Thailand, the Philippines, and Brazil will participate in activities to foster collaboration between international and local experts to encourage knowledge transfer and sharing of best practices. This initiative is funded by the Division of AIDS of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, one of the National Institutes of Health.
“MHRP has gained extensive experience from our East Africa and Thailand cohort studies in conducting acute HIV research and clinical research alongside an international network of partners,” said Dr. Lydie Trautmann, MHRP’s Director of Translational Research. “DELIVER provides an opportunity to adapt lessons learned from those experiences to engage new partners and communities in HIV remission research.”
The DELIVER kickoff event will be an HIV remission workshop held in Uganda next week, beginning June 17. Laboratory and staff development will build a network of sites capable of conducting a comprehensive panel of HIV cure-relevant assays. Clinical site assessments will inform strategies to facilitate future enrollment into research trials, and efforts will also focus on community engagement. In addition to training, cure-experienced community advisory boards (CABs) will coach CABs new to HIV remission research.
Ultimately, MHRP plans to work with DELIVER sites to conduct a Phase 1 multi-site trial to evaluate a combination of broadly neutralizing antibodies administered at ART initiation and a therapeutic vaccine to induce long-term remission among participants living with HIV.
“We are excited to expand HIV cure efforts across multiple continents in a single trial,” said Dr. Sandhya Vasan, Director of the HJF Global ID component of MHRP. “It is crucial to engage diverse communities and people living with HIV to contribute to remission research, especially in regions that face a high HIV burden.”