D43TW013052

Leveraging North-South partnerships to advance cell and gene therapy for HIV research training capacity in Uganda (C and GT-Uganda) - Project summary/abstract

According to the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, the global response to HIV/AIDS is described as “in danger” considering current trends, meaning that attaining epidemic control by 2030 is unlikely.

As of 2021, 45% of the 1.5 million new cases of HIV and 43% of the 650,000 deaths from AIDS globally were in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Despite availability of successful antiretroviral therapy, many do not have access or are unable to adhere to this treatment for life.

While seven people have so far been functionally cured of HIV using allogeneic blood stem cell transplant techniques (all in high-income countries), this treatment is predicted to be useful for <1% of people living with HIV globally.

Moreover, these individuals were treated with allogeneic transplant for a cancer diagnosis.

In the absence of cancer, the risk-to-benefit ratio of such a treatment is not justified.

A novel approach to HIV cure which could be applied in people living with HIV who do not have cancer would be transformative to epidemic control.

Genetic engineering techniques (i.e. gene therapy) can be used to make blood cell treatment more widely available, since genetic engineering can be done on the patient’s own blood cells without the need of a donor.

Indeed, more than 46 clinical trials for some kind of gene therapy to treat HIV have been registered to date.

However, none of these has been conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa, nor has the research and development of these approaches included African researchers or Africans living with HIV.

To address this gap, capacity for cell and gene therapy research towards HIV cure must be built locally.

This proposal leverages the expertise of Ugandan institutions which have led the HIV response in education, training, research and clinical intervention to develop personnel (i.e. manpower), research, advocacy and excellence in cell and gene therapy for HIV cure in partnership with leading institutions in the U.S. actively developing these treatments.

To achieve capacity in Uganda, this proposal will train both degree and non-degree fellows in cell and gene therapy through courses, research training both locally and internationally, and in certificate conferring and informational webinars and short courses.

Trainees will be part of a growing global cell and gene therapy network to build partnerships between the global North and South, to create foundations for advocacy and policy needed to implement cell and gene therapy, and to foster a center of excellence which will allow dissemination of cell and gene therapy for HIV cure to other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Altogether, this training grant will build critical capacity for cell and gene therapy for HIV cure in the places where it is most needed, and where its success will most likely translate to a more meaningful global response to the HIV epidemic.

Joint Clinical Research Centre

THE JOHN E. FOGARTY INTERNATIONAL CENTER (FIC) SUPPORTS RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING TO REDUCE DISPARITIES IN GLOBAL HEALTH AND TO FOSTER PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN U.S. SCIENTISTS AND THEIR COUNTERPARTS ABROAD. FIC SUPPORTS BASIC BIOLOGICAL, BEHAVIORAL, AND SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH, AS WELL AS RELATED RESEARCH TRAINING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT. THE RESEARCH PORTFOLIO IS DIVIDED INTO SEVERAL PROGRAMS THAT SUPPORT A WIDE VARIETY OF FUNDING MECHANISMS TO MEET PROGRAMMATIC OBJECTIVES.

93.989 - International Research and Research Training

Fogarty International Center (FIC) [HHS - NIH]

Uganda

Foreign

Fogarty HIV Research Training Program for Low-and Middle-Income Country Institutions (D43 Clinical Trial Optional) (PAR-22-151)