News

Latest ACTU news from around the globe.


$3.25M NIH grant to support research in oral manifestations of HIV, including mouth cancer Researchers at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine will use a $3.25 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to better understand how HIV impacts the human body, from mouth lesions to oral […]

Case Dental gets $3.25M NIH grant to support research in ...


ACTG launches A5383, clinical trial evaluating potential immunologic benefits of treating asymptomatic CMV in people living with HIV The AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), the largest global HIV research network, today announced the initiation of A5383, a clinical trial evaluating whether the anti- cytomegalovirus (CMV) drug letermovir reduces inflammation when […]

A5383: ELICIT clinical trial of anti-CMV medication letermovir




Injectable PrEP highly successful, despite HIV infections Experts say breakthrough HIV should still remain rare in those receiving ViiV Healthcare’s injectable Apretude to prevent infection. In a large clinical trial assessing Apretude, ViiV Healthcare’s recently approved injectable drug, as a form of HIV prevention, seven participants contracted the virus despite […]

Breakthrough HIV reported in injectable PrEP trial; experts say drug ...



CROI2022 overview w/Dr. Carl Dieffenbach, head of NIAID NIAID director Dr. Carl Dieffenbach reviews updates from #CROI2022 (www.croiconference.org) in this 34-minute video. In an HIV.gov video conversation on Wednesday, February 16, NIH’s Dr. Carl Dieffenbach discussed some of the pivotal HIV research advances presented this week at the 2022 virtual […]

NIH’s Dr. Carl Dieffenbach Discusses Highlights of HIV Cure, Treatment ...




COVID numbers down but immunocompromised still at risk COVID-19 cases are the lowest they have been in Cuyahoga County in months, and many schools and businesses are no longer requiring masks. But for people with compromised immune systems, like Lakewood resident Robert Toth, this is a difficult environment to navigate. In […]

Immunocompromised are still at risk as COVID-19 cases plummet in ...


Biden administration to buy Pfizer antiviral pills for 10 million people, hoping to transform COVID-19 pandemic Pfizer, meanwhile, asks regulators to authorize the pills and agrees to allow them to be made and sold for less in poor countries. The Biden administration is planning to purchase 10 million courses of Pfizer’s […]

Biden administration to buy Pfizer antiviral pills for 10 million ...



SAB-185 Polyclonal Antibody Graduates to Phase 3 The AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), the largest global HIV research network, which recently expanded its focus to include evaluating outpatient treatment for COVID-19, announced that SAB-185, a novel polyclonal antibody therapy, has demonstrated safety and efficacy in phase 2 that meet the […]

ACTG Announces Graduation of Novel Polyclonal Antibody Therapy SAB-185 to ...




Nominations are open for the annual Marilyn Kuczynski Faith & Strength Award National Faith HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NFHAAD) was founded by Khadijah Abdullah in 2016. She is also the founder of RAHMA (Reaching All HIV+ Muslims in America), an Islamic organization in Arabic (the name means Mercy). In 2016, advocates […]

Marilyn Kuczynski Faith & Strength Award nominations open


HIV cure–related research focus group of serodiscordant couples A message from HIV researchers Danielle M. Campbell, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, and Karine Dubé, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC about their research on HIV cure research with HIV-discordant couples: […]

HIV cure focus group/interview study



CWRU/UH Site Enrolls for COVID-19 Prevention Vaccine One of the sites for the federal Operation Warp Speed COVID-19 prevention vaccine studies is our Clinical Trials Unit in Cleveland, overseen by the newly formed Coronavirus Prevention Network. We expect to open the AstraZeneca vaccine study (CoVPN3002/AZD1222) soon and begin enrolling adults […]

Phase 3 Clinical Testing of AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate Begins




Advanced Management Issues in HIV Care – Sep. 17 & 18 presented by the Sarah Cole Hirsh Institute of Evidence-Based Practice A focus on management of patients living with HIV. Who should attend: Infectious disease and internal medicine physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, nurses and other health care professionals […]

Save the Date: Advanced Management Issues in HIV Care 2020


Research during a Pandemic We sent out our March e-newsletter on Friday, with updates on COVID-19, the virtual CROI sessions, HIV-related webinars, our clinical trials for prevention and treatment, Community Advisory Board news, HIV decriminalization efforts, and working from home tips, which you can read here: https://mailchi.mp/6f21d1df3f67/1244361-1411173 Please share with […]

Research during a Pandemic – our e-news for March



City Club Virtual Forum w/John Corlett FEATURING: John R. Corlett, President and Executive Director, The Center for Community Solutions and longtime HIV/AIDS advocate Over the last few weeks, Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Director of Health Dr. Amy Action have signed a number of orders to curb the spread of coronavirus. […]

City Club Virtual Forum: State Policy During a Pandemic w/John ...





Researcher at Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing focuses on aging-related health issues among people living with HIV-AIDS Nurse scientist Allison Webel, PhD at Case Western Reserve University is further expanding her research on aging-related health challenges increasingly faced by people living longer with HIV-AIDS. Her ongoing NIH-funded work investigating […]

CWRU Nurse Scientist Studies Aging Well with HIV




Promising HIV vaccine to be tested with gay men and trans people This article is a helpful overview of Mosaico, a global HIV-prevention vaccine study enrolling 3,800 sexually active HIV-negative gay men and transgender people age 18-60.   Article: http://www.aidsmap.com/news/jul-2019/promising-hiv-vaccine-be-tested-gay-men-and-trans-people  Study: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03964415

Mosaico HIV-prevention vaccine study opening soon



Trailblazer studies gene-editing HIV treatment at 3 sites Dr. Carl Fichtenbaum at our sister site at the University of Cincinnati talks about #Trailblazer, our HIV treatment study using zinc finger nucleases to perform gene editing on cells to reduce the reservoir of HIV infection. Link: https://www.uc.edu/news/articles/2019/08/n20848753.html

Carl Fichtenbaum’s UofC IDRU takes on gene editing to reduce ...




CWRU’s Blanton Tolbert appointed to NIH Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council (OARAC) June 3, 2019 Congratulations to CWRU chemistry associate professor and HIV researcher Blanton Tolbert, who was appointed to the National Institutes of Health’s Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council, a permanent position that advises on the direction […]

CWRU’s Blanton Tolbert appointed to NIH Office of AIDS Research ...


Latitude Study A5359: Long-acting injectable anti-HIV medicine April 30, 2019 The CWRU/UH AIDS Clinical Trials Unit announced today the opening of a new clinical trial for people living with HIV called the Latitude study. The study will be the first in northeast Ohio to use long-acting, injectable anti-HIV medicines. The […]

Latitude Study A5359: Long-acting, injectable ART







Community Advisory Board (CAB) meetings, Awareness Days & Other Events  Visit our Facebook (www.facebook.com/clevelandclinicaltrials) and Twitter (twitter.com/CLEHIVtrials) pages for updates. JANUARY 8: CAB MEETING January 23: Bruce Richman, U=U / Prevention Access Campaign, visiting Cleveland February: American Heart Month February 7: National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day FEBRUARY 12: CAB MEETING […]

2019 Calendar of Events






New documentary about the Columbus drag community All are welcome to a free screening of Kings, Queens, & In-Betweens about the Columbus drag community at 5:30pm on Friday, October 5 at the Wolstein Research Building, 2103 Cornell Rd in University Circle, Cleveland. LGBTQ organizations will have information tables during a reception […]

Free screening of Kings, Queens, & In-Betweens Oct. 5





Sékaly to study genetically engineering immune cells for HIV treatment CWRU School of Medicine researcher and professor of pathology Rafick-Pierre Sékaly received an $11 million grant from the National Institutes of Health and will partner with Sangamo Therapeutics to study the possibility of eradicating HIV in people living with the virus. […]

CWRU researcher receives $11 million grant to study HIV treatment



AIDS Funding Collaborative funded study of non-occupational PEP resources (nPEP) The AIDS Funding Collaborative (a program of the The Center for Community Solutions) funded a study by a CWRU/UH medical school student and an ER doctor to look at the need for non-occupational exposure PEP (nPEP) resources in emergency departments. Similar […]

Study of nPEP resources in emergency rooms


CWRU’s Sékaly Finds HIV Reservoir Vulnerability  Today the Case Daily published an article about exciting developments in purging the reservoir of infected immune cells in people living with HIV, research conducted by our CFAR colleague Rafick-Pierre Sékaly. A class of anti-inflammatory drugs already FDA-approved for rheumatoid arthritis could “purge” the reservoir […]

CWRU researchers find HIV reservoir vulnerability






CDC Joins Consensus that U Equals U   September 29, 2017 by Savas Abadsidis from Plus.com On National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, the CDC released a history-making statement with updated language on viral suppression and transmission risk. “That is a remarkable statement,” as Bruce Richman, executive director of the Prevention Access Campaign’s Undetectable=Untransmittable campaign […]

CDC joins consensus that Undetectable Equals Untransmittable




Gilead Sciences awards $2.5 million to CWRU AIDS Clinical Trials Unit February 1, 2017: Gilead Sciences awarded CWRU School of Medicine’s Michael M. Lederman, MD to study HIV Reservoir Reduction with Interleukin-2 and monoclonal antibody treatments. IL-2 and certain monoclonal antibodies have been shown separately to reduce the presence of HIV, […]

Lederman gets $2.5M Gilead grant to study one-two punch


Over $22M in Grants from Gilead to Study HIV Cure Research January 11, 2017: Gilead awards over $22 million to a dozen HIV cure research projects. Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine’s Michael M. Lederman, MD to study Reservoir Reduction with Interleukin-2 and Transcriptional Activation. https://www.poz.com/article/22m-grants-gilead-study-three-areas-hiv-cure-research  

Gilead funds CWRU cure research



HIV is not a crime
Ohio Supreme Court Will Review Felony HIV Exposure Law & Conviction October 5, 2016: The Center for HIV Law and Policy and the ACLU of Ohio Foundation submitted a brief supporting the petition for Ohio Supreme Court review of State of Ohio v. Orlando Batista, arguing that Ohio’s felonious assault […]

HIV Is Not a Crime


Mort Mandel commits $100,000 for outstanding chemistry faculty award Yet again, Mandel has chosen to live his principles in his charitable giving. Through the Morton and Barbara Mandel Family Foundation, he committed $100,000 for the Morton L. Mandel Award endowment. The annual award will honor and reward outstanding faculty members […]

Blanton Tolbert awarded inaugural Mandel endowment









Special Immunology Unit director and PrEP Clinic founder Barbara Gripshover, MD http://medicine.case.edu/department-newsletter/february-2016-newsletter Barbara Gripshover, MD, Medical Director of the John T. Carey Special Immunology Unit (SIU) at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, and founder of the area’s first PrEP Clinic, examines common barriers to engaging patients with HIV in health […]

Barbara Gripshover, SIU director


School of Nursing’s Allison Webel contributes to 4th edition http://thedaily.case.edu/news/as-hiv-patients-live-longer-updated-guide-helps-patients-navigate-new-territory/ The Case Daily reports that Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing professor and HIV researcher Allison Webel is part of a team that has updated a patient guide for HIV care, treatment and how to communicate with family, friends and others about […]

HIV Book Updated by CWRU’s Allison Webel






Inaugural appointment The CWRU School of Medicine advances its legacy of HIV research innovation and collaboration by bringing on Rafick-Pierre Sékaly, PhD, one of the world’s leading scientists in AIDS research, human immunology and immunotherapy, as the inaugural Richard J. Fasenmyer Professor of Immunopathogenesis. Read more at http://thedaily.case.edu/news/?p=41184 More information about the Fasenmyer […]

Leading AIDS researcher appointed to Fasenmyer Professorship in School of ...




Common herpes medication reduces HIV-1 levels, independent of herpes infection March 16, 2015 in Case Daily, from Clinical Infectious Diseases http://thedaily.case.edu/news/common-herpes-medication-reduces-hiv-1-levels-independent-of-herpes-infection/ Case Western Reserve researchers play a key role in clinical trials’ groundbreaking results. ACTU co-principal investigators Benigno Rodriguez and Michael Lederman are part of an international team that discovered […]

Common herpes med reduces HIV


Case Western Reserve University, Population Genetics Technologies form HIV research partnership March 12, 2015 in Crain’s Cleveland Business http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20150312/FREE/150319937/case-western-reserve-university-population-genetics-technologies A British company developing a way to spot mutations in the HIV virus has formed a partnership with Case Western Reserve University. The university will help Population Genetics Technologies develop tests […]

CWRU HIV researchers develop way to spot mutations



Community plays key role in testing a modified version of ‘Thai vaccine’ regimen Feb. 18, 2015 — Fred Hutch News Service http://www.fredhutch.org/en/news/center-news/2015/02/hiv-vaccine-clinical-trial-launches-in-south-africa.html A much-anticipated clinical trial has begun in South Africa to test a modied version of the so-called Thai vaccine, the only experimental vaccine regimen so far to show […]

CAB members are a bridge between researchers and the community


AmeriCorps Team Cleveland presents Conscious Creations The AmeriCorps team’s long-term project is under way with the kick-off of their art competition for high school students, called Conscious Creations. The submission flyer and application are attached below, along with HIV facts and a list of testing & services sites in Cleveland. […]

AmeriCorps HIV art competition



Presenting Back on Board: Greg Louganis Again this year, the ACTU partners with the Cleveland International Film Festival, presenting a new documentary by Cheryl Furjanic about four-time Olympic gold medalist diver Greg Louganis, and his struggles with HIV and being an openly gay athlete. Find info, trailer and tickets here: […]

Cleveland International Film Festival