HANC Newsletter | March 2023
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The Office of HIV/AIDS Network Coordination (HANC) is located at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, WA. We acknowledge the Coast Salish peoples of this land, the land which touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Duwamish, Puyallup, Suquamish, Tulalip and Muckleshoot nations.
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Recruitment Open: HANC Project Coordinator Position
Project Coordinator, Legacy Project: View details about this Project Coordinator position and apply on the Fred Hutch Careers page.
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Join Us in Recognizing the Following HIV/AIDS Awareness Days This Month:
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March 10: National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day #NWGHAAD
In the United States, about 23% of people living with HIV are women and, in 2019, women made up 18 percent of new diagnoses. The highest number of new diagnoses were among women ages 25 to 44. Advances in testing, treatment, and prevention have resulted in progress towards the nation’s goal to end the HIV epidemic by 2030.
To commemorate #NWGHAAD, the Women's HIV Research Collaborative (WHRC) developed this infographic focused on women-centered HIV research.
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March 20: National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
The observance of NNHAAD is a national mobilization effort designed to encourage Native people (American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians) across the U.S. and Territorial Areas to get educated, get tested, get involved in prevention, and get treated for HIV.
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ACTG CROI 2023 Presentations
The ACTG researchers made 29 presentations at this year’s Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI). ACTG members presented on topics including COVID-19; HIV cure, pathogenesis, treatment and long-term complications; tuberculosis; and contraception. We were thrilled to see our investigators out en masse presenting, and representing the ACTG!
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HPTN's CROI 2023 Highlights
February 20: Dr. Stansfield presented a poster regarding the population impact of expanding PrEP usage in South Africa.
February 21: HPTN researchers participated in two oral sessions featuring five HPTN abstracts. For the Global Epidemiology of HIV session, Dr. Laeyendecker discussed HIV incidence differences measured by serial cross-sectional incidence testing from HPTN 071 (PopART). The second oral session, All Modes Lead to PrEP, included presentations from the following researchers:
- Dr. Mark Marzinke: Cabotegravir Pharmacology in the Background of Delayed Injections in HPTN 084.
- Dr. Susan Eshleman: The LEVI Syndrome: Characteristics of Early HIV Infection with Cabotegravir for PrEP.
- Dr. Hyman Scott: Cabotegravir for HIV PrEP in U.S. Black Men and Transgender Women Who Have Sex with Men.
- Dr. Sybil Hosek: CAB-LA for HIV Prevention in African Cisgender Female Adolescents.
- In addition, Drs. Scott and Hosek participated in a press conference chaired by Dr. Sharon Hillier. The day ended with Dr. Meredith Clement presenting a poster on pre-exposure prophylaxis product choice in U.S. participants in HPTN 083.
February 22: Dr. Brown presented a poster on bone density changes with CAB-LA or TDC/FTC PrEP in MSM and TGW in HPTN 083.
Presentations will be available online at hptn.org/presentedresearch.
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Intersections Video Series
Intersections is a video series which launched early October 2022, and is comprised of one-on-one interviews where we explore the intersections of science and daily life. Intersections features significant figures in science, business, politics, sports, the arts, activism, news media, and technology. Intersections is hosted by Dr. Stephaun Wallace, External Relations Director of both the CoVPN and HVTN. Learn more about this new video series here.
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IMPAACT Social Behavioral Scientific Core SpotLight Series
The IMPAACT SBSC is proud to announce three upcoming SpotLight webinar presentations featuring guest speakers discussing various topics to support research development and implementation:
- 23 March 2023 at 10:00 a.m. ET | Brian Minalga and Cindra Feuer on Trans Inclusion: Charting HIV Research into the Future: A Manifesto and Scorecard for Advocates & Researchers.
- 27 April 2023 at 10:00 a.m. ET| Christina Rodriguez-Hart on HIV Stigma and Designing HIV Service Delivery for Priority Populations.
- 25 May 2023 at 10:00 a.m. ET | Melissa Mugambi on Optimizing PrEP Uptake Among Pregnant Women by Understanding Patient Preferences Using Discrete Choice Experiments.
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Recapping IMPAACT at CROI 2023
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European Commission Authorizes Marketing for Triumeq PD
On 22 February 2023, the European Commission authorized marketing for ViiV Healthcare’s Triumeq PD, the first dispersible single-tablet regimen containing dolutegravir for children living with HIV. This approval provides access to a fixed-dose combination tablet for children 14 kg to < 25 kg, following the U.S. Food & Drug Administration approval of this formulation in 2022. It also expands access to the immediate-release tablet to include children > 25kg. Read the full press release
here.
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Behavioral and Social Sciences
Greg Davis, HANC Project Manager
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Behavioral Science Consultative Group: The Behavioral Science Consultative Group is holding a face-to-face meeting on April 7 in Seattle, WA. The BSCG co-chairs are finalizing the agenda for the meeting. The group is deciding on potential guests to invite to join the meeting virtually.
Financial Disclosure Working Group: On the next Financial Disclosure Working Group call, the group will begin developing a communication strategy for upcoming changes to the Network financial disclosure collection. Details are currently being worked out, and once finalized, more information will be made available to Network collaborators.
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Community Partners
Greg Davis, HANC Project Manager
Russell Campbell, HANC Director
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In February, Greg Davis began facilitating HANC’s Community coordination efforts. Community Partners remains focused and has identified its priorities for 2023.
The group is working with global CAB representatives to plan a webinar highlighting ACTG, HVTN, and IMPAACT Networks TB research portfolios to increase community members understanding around TB research happening across the networks. Dr. Ashwini Deshpande will be presenting the ACTG TB research agenda on Thursday, March 23 from 9:00-10:00 AM PT/Noon-1:00 PM ET. More details will be available soon.
Maria del Rosario (MaR) has been named the Community Partners liaison with the TB CRAG. MaR will join TB CRAG meetings and provide updates on the ongoings of Community Partners and discuss ways the groups can collaborate.
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Cross-Network Coordination
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The Cross-Network Protocol Deviation Working Group (PDWG) continues to refine the Cross Network Protocol Deviation Reference Guide for major and critical protocol deviations in network studies. Revisions aim to clarify the definitions for major and critical protocol deviations and will help sites interpret and classify protocol deviations appropriately. The Cross Network Protocol Deviation Reference Guide is now in the final stages of review and sign-off.
Reminder: In January the DAIDS Office for Policy in Clinical Research Operations (OPCRO) announced that the following policies have been updated: Human Subjects Protection and Good Clinical Practice Training Requirements (DAIDS-OD-A-POL-00003) and Enrolling Children (including Adolescents) in Clinical Research Policy (DAIDS-OPC-A15-POL-00008). Both policies are available on the following DAIDS Clinical Research Policies webpage
here.
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HANC Leadership
Russell Campbell, HANC Director
Brian Minalga, HANC Deputy Director
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2/18: The HANC leadership team presented at the Pre-CROI Community HIV Cure Research Workshop, focusing on HANC's role, offering community members the opportunity to learn more about HANC, and to identify collaborative opportunities between HANC and community members in the HIV cure-related research realm. View the presentation here.
2/22: Russell Campbell, HANC Director, moderated a virtual brown-bag discussion and overview of NIAID programs at HBCUs as part of NIAID’s Black History Month Event.
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Laboratory Coordination
Tyler Brown, HANC Laboratory Project Manager
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The Lab Technologists SOP Working Group met in January to continue revising the Processing of Dried Blood Spots Standard Operating Procedure - a new version is expected to be published this spring.
The Lab Focus Group (LFG) held a meeting in February to continue developing a new cross-network tracking system for lab supply and reagent shortages. In February the LFG also elected two new group co-chairs, Diane Costello (of the IMPAACT Lab Center) and Michael Stirewalt (of the HVTN Lab Center).
The CPQA Cross-Network Clinical Pharmacology Forum (CNCPL Forum) held a meeting in February to discuss current and upcoming CPQA proficiency testing rounds, the CPQA's compendial testing program updates, and updates on the CPQA AVR/SOP Review Program. The CPQA Program announced they are working to reconvene the CPQA Bioanalytical Revision Assay Group (BRAG) to harmonize recent ICH M10 bioanalytical method validation guideline updates with the CPQA Bioanalytical Method Validation Guidelines.
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The Legacy Project
Brian Minalga, HANC Deputy Director
Pedro Goicochea, HANC Community Engagement Officer
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03/06: Episode 12 of H=H podcast will be featuring an interview with Jim Pickett who will present "CROI 2023 Margarita Breakfast Club" highlights on HIV prevention research. Listen to H=H here.
3/20: Legacy commemorates National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. We are working toward more meaningful representation of Indigenous peoples in HIV clinical trials, and we would like to promote the work of the Two-Spirit Dry Lab
, which is the first research group on Turtle Island (sometimes known as North America) that focuses exclusively on Two-Spirit peoples.
3/21-3/23: Russell Campbell will be representing Legacy as part of the HBCU Evidence2Practice Workshop at Morris College in South Carolina.
3/23: Brian Minalga and Cindra Feuer (AVAC) will present to the IMPAACT Network’s Social Behavioral Scientific Core on the inclusion of transgender and gender-diverse people in clinical trials.
New Investigators Working Group (NIWG)
ACTG Junior HIV Investigator Mentorship: Funding is available for two competitive awards for two ACTG clinical research sites (one US, one non-US) that will provide 25% of the junior investigator’s salary for a period of 2 years, and 2.5% of the mentor’s salary for 2 years. The award will also include $25,000 in direct costs to the awardee for research purposes. Applications to the ACTG Junior Investigator Mentorship must be submitted before 11:59 pm ET on April 3, 2023 using this link. For
more information, download the brochure here.
New Investigators Working Group Webinar Series: “How to navigate the NIH grants system” is the topic of the 2023 NIWG webinar series. The series will consist of two webinars, part one in late April and part two in mid May. Panelists include program officers and scientific reviewers from the Division of AIDS, the Vaccine Research Program, and the Fogarty International Center.
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Biomedical HIV Prevention Summit (Las Vegas, USA)
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2023 HVTN Full Group Meeting (Washington DC, USA)
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HPTN Annual Meeting (Washington DC, USA)
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Annual ACTG Network Meeting (Washington DC, USA)
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International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science (IAS) 2023 (Brisbane, Australia)
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Annual IMPAACT Network Meeting (Washington DC, USA)
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