October was a pivotal month for HIV Cure research in Washington, DC.
On October 5-6, researchers representing 18 participating institutions, community organizations, industry partners, and medical clinics in four countries (the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Brazil) met to officially launch the NIH Martin Delaney BELIEVE (Bench to Bed Enhanced Lymphocyte Infusions to Engineer Viral Eradication) Collaboratory. The BELIEVE Collaboratory, led by PI and DC CFAR Basic Science Core Director Dr. Douglas Nixon, builds on advances in immunotherapy to create a novel HIV cure strategy, drawing upon the expertise of multiple DC CFAR institutions and members. At the meeting, investigators presented an overview of each of the four Initial Research Foci (IRFs), which range from basic research to clinical studies. There was also a focus on community engagement, including a 2-hour Community to Clinic meeting that provided a forum for community representatives, clinicians, and research scientists to share their perspectives on cure-focused community engagement and education.
Following the kick-off meeting, members of the DC CFAR HIV Cure Scientific Working Group (SWG) gathered to celebrate this milestone achievement and to discuss what's next in HIV Cure research. The gathering also marked the final meeting of the DC CFAR HIV Cure SWG as the District embarks on its next phase of HIV
Cure research through the BELIEVE Collaboratory.
The HIV Cure SWG was created to provide a collaborative, cross-institutional platform to support the discovery, development, and implementation of innovative basic HIV/AIDS cure research. Since then, the DC CFAR has helped to support HIV Cure research in DC through promoting the recruitment of basic sciences researchers, funding multiple HIV Cure-related pilot awards and facilitating city-wide collaboration among DC CFAR member investigators through the HIV Cure SWG. The ultimate goal of the HIV Cure SWG was achieved with Dr. Douglas Nixon and colleagues' successful Martin Delaney Collaboratory application.