Download NIH awards Emory $35.6 million grant for research aimed at HIV

NIHawardsEmory$35.6milliongrantforresearchaimedatHIV/AIDSvaccineandcure
WoodruffHealthSciencesCenter|June7,2016
AresearchconsortiumEmoryUniversityisleadinghasbeenawardedafive-year,$35.6
milliongrantfromtheNationalInstitutesofHealthtodevelopnewstrategiesfor
preventingandcuringHIV/AIDS.Thenewresearchpartnershipbringstogetheran
interdisciplinarymixofhighlycollaborativeinvestigatorsfocusedonawiderangeofHIV
vaccineandcureresearch,withtheaimofdevelopingapotentHIVvaccinethat
producesabroadandsustainedimmuneresponse.
InvestigatorsintheEmoryConsortiumforInnovativeAIDSResearchinNonhuman
Primates(CIAR-NHP)aimtodevelopadvancedvaccinesthatprovidesustained
protectionfromretroviralinfection.Inaddition,theyaimtorefineexisting"shockand
kill"approachesthatseektoeliminatethevirusfromlatentreservoirsinpeoplewhoare
infectedwithHIV,enhancingthepossibilityofacure.
Researcherswillfocustheirworkonsimianimmunodeficiencyvirus(SIV)andSIV/HIV
hybridviruses,usingtheuniqueresourcesofYerkesNationalPrimateResearchCenter
andEmoryVaccineCenter.Researchprogramswithnonhumanprimatesprovidean
opportunitytounderstandwhatmakesavaccineeffectiveinprotectingmonkeys
againstinfectionwiththevirus.LeadingHIVinvestigatorsfromaroundthecountryalso
willcontributetotheconsortium.
"Emory'sHIV/AIDSinvestigatorshavebeenleadersincontributingessentialknowledge
andtoolsintheefforttodeveloppreventiveandtherapeuticoptionsforthischallenging
disease,"saysJonathanS.Lewin,MD,Emoryexecutivevicepresidentforhealthaffairs,
executivedirectorofEmory'sWoodruffHealthSciencesCenterandpresidentandCEO
ofEmoryHealthcare."Astheinternationalresearchcommunitydrawsclosertoan
effectivevaccineandcure,Emory'sresearchteamwillusethissignificantnewgrantto
closethegapsinscientificunderstandinganddevelopmeaningfuloutcomesfor
preventionandpotentialcure."
Scientistsalreadyknowthatbyusingaparticularimmune-stimulatingagenttheycan
enhancevaccineprotectionandbyusinganotheragentdecreasevirallevelsforan
extendedtimeafterdiscontinuingantiretroviraltherapy.TheEmory-ledteamhasaplan
forcombiningthesedifferentpiecesofthepuzzle,inordertofillthegapsinour
knowledge.
Instudiesaimedatdevelopingeffective,preventivevaccines,Emoryinvestigatorsplan
toattackchallengessuchas:
•
extendingtheeffectivelifetimeofprotectiveantibodiesusing
advancedadjuvants,whichenhancethebody'simmuneresponse;
•
activatingantiviralTcellsinthemucosaltissueswherethevirusfirst
entersthebody;and
•
stimulatingtherightbalanceofimmunecellsandCD4Tcells,which
arepotentialtargetsforthevirus.
Emoryscientistsplantoincorporatenewerimmunogensintotheviral"payload"
ofvaccinessothatantibodyresponsesfocusonspecificpartsofthevirusthatare
importantforinducingneutralizingantibodies,aswellasotherpartsofthevirusthat
canstimulateantiviralTcells,whichareimportantbecausetheykillHIV-infectedcells.
"Generatingalong-lastingprotectiveantibodyresponseatthesiteofHIVentryiskeyto
stoppingitstransmissionandisoneobjectiveofournewNIH-fundedresearchprogram
todevelopnewstrategiesforpreventingandcuringHIV/AIDS,"saysRamaAmara,PhD,
co-principalinvestigatorofthegrantandprofessorofmicrobiologyandimmunologyat
EmoryUniversitySchoolofMedicine,EmoryVaccineCenter,andYerkesNational
PrimateResearchCenter.
TheCIARwillalsopursuestudiesaimedatacceleratingthedevelopmentofacurefor
HIV.Usingthe"shockandkill"approachduringantiviraldrugtherapy,researcherswill
forceHIVtocomeoutofhidingfromitsreservoirsinthebody,whichiskeytokillingthe
virus.Tothisend,theteamplanstotestnovel"latencyreversingagents"andthen
combinethebestonewithimmunotherapeuticdrugs(PD-1blockers)andtherapeutic
vaccines.
"Weareveryfortunateandexcitedtohavesuchastrong,multidisciplinaryteamof
investigatorshereatEmory,andaroundtheUS,totacklethesecriticalquestionsinHIV
vaccinedevelopmentandtherapy.Thisawardwillallowustocombinemultiplenovel
approachestoworktoimprovetheefficacyofpreventivevaccinesandapproachestoa
cureforHIV,"saysEricHunter,PhD,thegrant'sotherco-principalinvestigator.Hunteris
professorofpathologyandlaboratorymedicineatEmoryUniversitySchoolofMedicine,
EmoryVaccineCenter,andYerkesNationalPrimateResearchCenter,co-directorofthe
EmoryCenterforAIDSResearchandaGeorgiaResearchAllianceEminentScholar.
ParticipatingEmoryinvestigatorsinclude:RafiAhmed,PhD,directoroftheEmory
VaccineCenterandprofessorofmicrobiologyandimmunologyatEmorySchoolof
MedicineandYerkesResearchCenter;SteveBosinger,PhD,seniorresearchscientistin
microbiologyandimmunologyatYerkesResearchCenter;AnnChahroudi,MD,PhD,
assistantprofessorofpediatricsatEmorySchoolofMedicine;MaxCooper,PhD,
professorofpathologyandlaboratorymedicineatEmorySchoolofMedicine;Cindy
Derdeyn,PhD,professorofpathologyandlaboratorymedicineatEmorySchoolof
MedicineandYerkesResearchCenter;PaulK.Farmer,PhD,researchprojectsmanager,
YerkesResearchCenter;PaulJohnson,MD,director,YerkesNationalPrimateResearch
CenterandprofessorofmedicineatEmorySchoolofMedicine;MirkoPaiardini,PhD,
assistantprofessorofpathologyandlaboratorymedicineatEmorySchoolofMedicine
andYerkesResearchCenter;BaliPulendran,PhD,CharlesHowardCandlerProfessorof
PathologyandLaboratoryMedicineatEmorySchoolofMedicine,EmoryVaccine
Center,andYerkesResearchCenter,anddirectorofEmory'sInnateImmunity
Program;GuidoSilvestri,MD,professorofpathologyandlaboratorymedicineatEmory
SchoolofMedicineandEmoryVaccineCenter,anddivisionchiefofmicrobiologyand
immunologyatYerkesResearchCenter;JensWrammert,PhD,assistantprofessorof
pediatricsatEmorySchoolofMedicine;andTianweiYu,PhD,professorofbiostatistics
atEmory'sRollinsSchoolofPublicHealth.
Drs.Hunter,Ahmed,CooperandSilvestriareGeorgiaResearchAllianceEminent
Scholars.
Keycollaboratorsatotherinstitutionsinclude:
ShaneCrotty,PhD,LaJollaInstituteforAllergyandImmunology;Pamela
Kozlowski,PhD,LouisianaStateUniversity;DavidMargolis,MD,UniversityofNorth
Carolina/ChapelHill;JohnMascola,MD,NationalInstituteofAllergyandInfectious
Diseases,NationalInstitutesofHealth;DavidMasopust,PhD,Universityof
Minnesota;JohnP.Moore,PhD,WeillCornellMedicalCollege;PhilipSantangelo,PhD,
GeorgiaInstituteofTechnology;andFrancoisVillinger,PhD,NewIberiaResearch
Center,UniversityofLouisiana.
FundingforthisprojectisfromtheNationalInstituteofAllergyandInfectiousDiseases,
grant#UM1AI124436.AdditionalfundingsupportwillbeprovidedbytheNIHOfficeof
ResearchInfrastructurePrograms,grant#P51OD011132,totheYerkesNational
PrimateResearchCenter.