MHRP 2021 Year in Review

MHRP looks back at another year of scientific progress and the close of our 35th anniversary:

HIV Vaccines & Prevention

In 2021, MHRP and partners launched a new Phase 1 clinical trial in Kenya to evaluate whether Army Liposomal Formulation adjuvant ALFA boosts the immune response to experimental HIV vaccines.
Researchers also advanced the development of another ALF adjuvant, ALFQ, which was used in clinical studies in 2021 at WRAIR with vaccines for malaria and SARS-COV-2.
In Thailand, MHRP launched a nonhuman primate study to evaluate a novel mRNA HIV vaccine candidate.
In addition to vaccines, MHRP is also researching monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for HIV prevention. Researchers identified novel mAbs MHRP01 and MHRP02 and demonstrated them to be broad and potent against a diverse panel of HIV strains.
In other prevention research, MHRP began evaluating the KISS behavioral intervention to reduce the risk of HIV and other STIs in a population of U.S. Army personnel and other Military Health System beneficiaries.

This year, MHRP’s unique RV254 acute infection cohort study continued in Thailand, helping shed light on the earliest events in HIV infection. The RV254 cohort is the result of real-time screening of more than 400,000 individuals, with more than 800 cases of diagnosed acute HIV infection (AHI).
Researchers continue to learn from another MHRP acute infection cohort, RV217. One finding in 2021 was that early engagement of immune system B cells with the HIV envelope during AHI predicts development of better neutralizing antibodies.
Another team of MHRP researchers analyzed HIV gene sequences from RV217 to estimate the timing of HIV infection, a method to help inform the design of preventive HIV clinical studies.
The ongoing RV254 study serves as a foundation for MHRP’s cure research. In the spring, MHRP launched a clinical trial to test an IL-15 superagonist administered during acute HIV infection as an experimental therapy to target establishment of the HIV reservoir.
MHRP is part of two multi-institution research teams that were awarded funds in 2021 from NIH to develop an integrated approach to finding an HIV cure.

In 2021, MHRP scientists published more than 90 peer-reviewed papers. Many of the published findings contribute to our understanding of the global HIV epidemic.
In 2021, MHRP completed clinical activities for HIV epidemiology studies at two of its newest international partner sites.
RV505 was the first ever observational HIV study conducted in Jordan, collecting regional data on demographics, HIV genotypes and drug resistance.
The BRAHMS study was the largest systematic epidemiological study in Germany for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Findings showed a high burden of STIs, meaning participating sites are a potential resource for trials to test novel prevention and treatment methods.
MHRP partner sites around the world have been leveraged to study other infectious diseases, like Ebola and, most recently, SARS-CoV-2. MHRP researchers continued to help advance WRAIR countermeasures to combat COVID, including a vaccine, adjuvants and monoclonal antibodies.
This year, partners in Thailand pivoted to support a multinational vaccine study called MAGI to assess the efficacy of a vaccine to prevent gonococcal infection.

MHRP implements comprehensive HIV prevention, care and treatment programs in Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). This year, MHRP helped:
- test and counsel more than 1 million clients
- maintain nearly 370,000 people in care
- maintain viral suppression in over 96% of clients on treatment
- introduce measures to combat COVID-19 and preserve HIV service delivery
The Nigeria DoD WRAIR team spearheaded community-led monitoring, empowering clients and community organizations to refine PEPFAR-supported services.
In 2021, MHRP helped support the Armed Forces Research Institute for Medical Sciences and the Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program with an expansion to support a military-military partnership in the Philippines. The first activities under this expansion focus on lab strengthening, clinical training, and diagnostic capabilities to bolster capacity for HIV prevention, testing, treatment and surveillance.
PEPFAR also supports MHRP’s African Cohort Study (AFRICOS), a large, multi-site study that evaluates the implementation of PEPFAR-supported programs and related outcomes. This year, AFRICOS findings spanned an array of complex, interconnected areas, including stigma, ART adherence, STI and tuberculosis co-infection, food insecurity and depression.