Message from the ERC-CFAR Director, Harris Goldstein, MD
I am delighted to introduce the Fall edition of the ERC CFAR Newsletter which provides and update on ERC-CFAR activities and highlights many accomplishments of our ERC-CFAR investigators. Earlier this Fall, the ERC-CFAR awarded two pilot project grants to three early-stage investigators. Demetria Cain, PhD, MPH (Research Assistant Professor, Hunter) received funding to study “Formative Research to optimize future Couples HIV Intervention Development addressing Drug use and Depression for Trans Feminine Individuals and their Cisgender Male Partners”. Dana Watnick, PhD, (Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Einstein) and Gus Klein, PhD, MSW (Research Scientist, Hunter College) received funding for their study, “Developing an Evidence-Base for Forming Successful Community-Academic Partnerships”. We put out another RFA for our first round of catalytic pilot project funding in 2023, due on January 31, 2023. This project is an excellent example of a multi-institutional investigator collaboration facilitated by the ERC-CFAR. I encourage everyone who is an ESI or a senior investigator who is new to HIV/AIDS research funding to apply for the next round of catalytic pilot projects. Please see the full RFA here for more information and read more below.
Additionally, in response to interest expressed by several ERC-CFAR investigators, the Behavioral Implementation Science Core led by Laurie Bauman and Sarit Golub are launching a new Implementation Science Interest Group (ISIG). Please see below for more details on the ISIG and Dr. Sarit Golub’s presentation on the goals of the ISIG. Another new initiative to support career development for ESIs is being organized by the Developmental Core led by Dr. Vinayaka Prasad. This initiative is a new seminar series called “Getting on the Highway to Becoming a PI and Beyond” will feature discussions by ESIs who were recently awarded an R01 or equivalent grant describing their research path and provide tips and insights derived from their success that other ESIs can use on their path to becoming a PI and EI. Please stay tuned for more information.
New NIH Grant Awards
Vilma Gabbay, MD (Professor of Psychiatry, Einstein), Joan Berman, PhD (Professor of Pathology, Einstein), and Anjali Sharma, MD, MS (Professor of Medicine, Einstein), received a five-year, $3.8 million R01 grant to study the role inflammation, brain-body barrier disruption, and reward functions play in the pathogenesis of depression among people who live with HIV. This collaboration brings together investigators who will combine their expertise in psychiatry, neuroimaging, HIV, and immunology to improve our understanding of neural mechanisms underlying depression in PWH and has the potential to improve overall and mental health outcomes in this highly vulnerable group.
Robert Burk, MD (Professor of Pediatrics, Einstein), has been awarded a five-year, $4.1 million R01 grant to leverage the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study and the Women's Interagency HIV Study (MWCCS) to study the natural history of oral HPV in people living with HIV and to assess how oral bacteria and fungi influence HPV persistence in this population, which may reveal strategies to reduce the risks for HPV-associated head and neck cancers. This grant was featured in the Einstein newsroom in a brief article reporting on the research that will be funded by this grant.
Theodora Hatziioannou, PhD (Research Associate Professor, Laboratory of Retrovirology, Rockefeller), and Paul Bieniasz, PhD (Professor, Laboratory of Retrovirology, Rockefeller), received a five-year, $3.5 million grant to study the effects of interferon on primate lentiviruses. They plan to study how antiviral proteins limit host range by researching the molecular details of inhibition in cell culture and using novel chimeric viruses in non-human animal models of AIDS.
Roee Holtzer, PhD (Professor of Pathology, Einstein) and Anjali Sharma, MD, MS (Professor of Medicine, Einstein), received a 5-year, $4.3 million R01 grant to examine the effects of brain structure and function and inflammation on walking performance and risk of falling in persons with and without HIV age 50 years and older. Improving our understanding of neural and inflammatory mechanisms underlying the effects of HIV on cognitive control and brain efficiency of locomotion in older PWH and has potential to improve early detection of and direct treatment for mobility impairments and falls in older PWH.
Other Awards and Accomplishments
The Einstein Magazine recently profiled Kathy Anastos, MD (Professor of Medicine, Einstein). The article, titled “The Change Agent”, provides a wonderful history describing how Kathy became a leading HIV investigator and the major role she has had on driving research studying the impact of HIV infection in women in the US and globally, particularly in Rwanda. There are some great pictures of Kathy at multiple stages of her life and career. We are extremely grateful that Kathy has devoted a lot of her time and effort to make the ERC-CFAR Clinical and Translation Science Core into a highly successful, utilized, and productive core as well as for her many other accomplishments highlighted in this article.
Congratulations to our ERC-CFAR director, Dr. Harris Goldstein, MD (Professor of Pediatrics, Einstein) who was recently appointed Einstein’s Senior Associate Dean for Scientific Affairs. In this role, he will oversee and support all basic research activities and resources at Einstein.
Christian Grov, PhD (Professor and Chairperson, Department of Community Health and Social Sciences, CUNY SPH) and Sarit Golub, PhD, MPH (Professor of Psychology, Hunter College) were interviewed by NIDA and featured in their newsletter and YouTube channel in two videos. One video is about preventing and treating HIV among sexual minority men who use methamphetamine. The other video is targeted towards health care professionals and offers advice on how to build trust and dismantle stigma to meaningfully support people at the intersection of substance use and HIV.
News from the ERC-CFAR Cores
The Behavioral and Implementation Science Core (BISC) is pleased to announce the launch of a new Implementation Science Interest Group (ISIG), designed to expand the capacity of ERC-CFAR investigators to do high-quality, equity-focused implementation science research. On November 18th 2022, the ISIG held its inaugural meeting as part of our ERC-CFAR Seminar series, bringing together 45 researchers across the ERC-CFAR, the Columbia HIV Center, and the NYC DOHMH. Dr. Sarit Golub (Co-Director of BISC) presented the four goals of the ISIG: 1) increase awareness of implementation science and how it can be applied to address pressing ending the HIV epidemic (EHE) questions; 2) expand the number and type of CFAR researchers who use implementation science methods; 3) enhance the rigor and quality of implementation science projects conducted by CFAR investigators; and 4) develop and strengthen collaborative relationships with NYC DOHMH, the New York State AIDS Institute, community-based organizations and the Columbia University HIV Center. There was tremendous interest in the activities of the new ISIG, and there was a robust conversation about priorities, training needs, and potential collaborative opportunities.
The ISIG is co-sponsoring an implementation science training on January 17th with the HIV Center on Coincidence Analysis, a new analytic method for addressing complexity and context in implementation research. There will also be invitations to additional large- and small-group follow-up and planning meetings in the next two months. Click here to register for the event. For more information about the ISIG, please contact Dr. Sarit Golub at sgolub@hunter.cuny.edu.
New RFA for Catalytic Pilot Projects
from the ERC-CFAR
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We are pleased to remind ERC-CFAR members that applications for our RFA for pilot projects are due on January 31, 2023. A major goal of the ERC-CFAR is to stimulate collaborative, translational HIV/AIDS research by funding HIV/AIDS-related catalytic pilot projects. Applications for catalytic pilot project grants should meet the following criteria.
- The PI of the catalytic pilot project MUST BE an Einstein, Rockefeller or CUNY (School of Public Health or Hunter college only) CFAR Investigator
- The PI of the catalytic pilot project must be either an early-stage investigator (ESI) or any investigator including senior faculty who have never had HIV/AIDS research funding before (non-HIV investigators)
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We encourage applications that are:
- focused on the priorities of ERC-CFAR Scientific Working Group (SWG) – HIV and Mental Health
- include trans-institutional collaborations involving investigators from at least two of the three ERC-CFAR institutions – Einstein, Rockefeller and/or CUNY (SPH or Hunter College).
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Details
- Up to two projects may be funded. While budgets for projects can be up to $50,000, with a strong justification, budgets of up to $75,000 will be considered.
- Deadline: Tuesday, January 31, 2023
New Publications by ERC-CFAR
Members
It is very important for the NIH to document the impact of the CFAR program that the Einstein-CUNY-Rockefeller Center for AIDS Research is acknowledged in publications, presentations and posters where the ERC-CFAR played any role, no matter how minor, in supporting these studies. For future publications, please use the following language to acknowledge the CFAR. "Research reported in this was supported by the Einstein-Rockefeller-CUNY Center for AIDS Research, an NIH-funded program under award number P30AI124414 which is supported by the following NIH Institutes and Centers: NIAID, NCI, NICHD, NHLBI, NIDA, NIMH, NIA, NIDDK, NIMHD, NIDCR, NINR, FIC and OAR." Alternatively, you can just list as the Einstein-Rockefeller-CUNY Center for AIDS Research (grant P30AI124414).
Researchers from the lab of Joan Berman, PhD, Professor of Pathology and of Microbiology and Immunology at Einstein, recently published a paper in Frontiers of Immunology titled “Buprenorphine reverses neurocognitive impairment in EcoHIV infected mice: A potential therapy for HIV-NCI”. Their research in HIV infected mice showed that buprenorphine, a synthetic opioid agonist which is often used as a treatment for opioid use disorder, could reverse effects of neurocognitive impairment associated with HIV. This paper resulted from a research collaboration with the lab David Volsky, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Pathology at Mount Sinai.
Andrea Weinberger, PhD, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology & Public Health and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Einstein, in collaboration with researchers from SUNY Buffalo, Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology of Yeshiva University and Montefiore, recently published a paper in the journal Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease titled “Substance Use and Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy among People Living with HIV in the United States”. The researchers asked 237 people living with HIV about their drug use and ART adherence and found that single and polysubstance use were associated with lower ART adherence.
Matthew Akiyama, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine at Einstein recently published a Perspective letter in the New England Journal of Medicine titled “Long-Acting Injectable Antiretrovirals in Incarcerated Populations — Challenges and Opportunities”. The letter, co-authored by collaborators from Emory University and UT Southwestern Medical Center, details the challenges of implementing Long-Acting Injectable ART and PrEP within the criminal -legal system.
Joan Berman, PhD, Simone Sidoli, PhD, Assistant Professor Of Biochemistry (Einstein) and two former members of the Berman lab, Jack Barbaro, PhD and Matias Jaureguiberry-Bravo, PhD, recently published a paper in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology titled “Morphine disrupts macrophage functions even during HIV infection”. The paper outlines the effects of morphine on monocyte derived macrophages and on inflammatory functions in HIV- infected cells.
In a paper published in JCI Insight, Harris Goldstein, MD along with his collaborators, demonstrated that genetically modified human T cells, dubbed duoCAR-T cells, infused into “humanized” mice localized to the spleens and potently suppressed and eliminated HIV-infected cells with no observable adverse effects. duoCAR-T cells derived from PWH effectively killed HIV-infected T cells and monocytes. These studies provided the crucial pre-clinical data that enabled the launch of a phase I/II clinical trial at the University of California-San Francisco and Davis by co-corresponding author, Boro Dropulić, Ph.D., at Caring Cross. Collaborators at Einstein include Joan Berman, PhD, postdocs Hang Su, PhD, Alex Ray, PhD and graduate students Vanessa Chilunda and Jessica Weiselberg.
Betsy Herold, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Microbiology and Immunology, and of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Einstein, and several collaborators from Einstein and St Louis University recently published a paper in the Journal of Infectious Diseases titled “Failure of Herpes Simplex Virus Glycoprotein D Antibodies to Elicit Antibody-Dependent Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity: Implications for Future Vaccines.” The paper discusses results from recent clinical studies for a vaccine candidate to prevent herpes simplex virus (HSV) 2 and the need for a vaccine candidate that generates polyfunctional and specifically antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) responses.
A paper was just published in Nature Communications Biology that was co-authored by researchers from Einstein and Rockefeller University titled “Cell-impermeable staurosporine analog targets extracellular kinases to inhibit HSV and SARS-CoV-2.” The authors from Einstein are Natalia Cheshenko, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics; Jeffrey Bonanno, PhD, Research Assistant Professor of Biochemistry; Betsy Herold, MD; Steven Almo, PhD, Professor of Biochemistry; Kartik Chandran, PhD, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology; and Rohit Jangra, PhD, a former member of the Chandran Lab. The Rockefeller collaborators are Charles Rice, PhD, Professor of Virology and Infectious Disease, and Hans-Heinrich Hoffmann, PhD.
Other Papers Published
Upcoming HIV Relevant Seminars,
Symposia, and Activities
HIV Related Funding, Training, and
Mentoring Opportunities
2023 HIV-Aging Research Consortium Pilot Funding RFA
- The 2023 HIV-Aging Research Consortium Pilot Funding supports pilot studies on HIV and Aging for early-stage investigators. Concept proposals are due January 13, 2023. See more details in the flyer here.
The Fordham HIV and Drug Abuse Prevention Research Ethics Training Institute (RETI)
- The RETI is offering training and small grant awards to conduct a mentored research project focused on HIV and drug abuse to early-stage investigators. Deadline February 15, 2023.
Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Administrative Supplements for Research on Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) Populations (Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)
- The NIH Admin Supplement program for Research on Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) Populations is accepting submissions until Jan 31, 2023, to support up to $100K in total costs (direct + indirect).
JHU Mixed Methods Research Training Program for the Health Sciences
- The MMRTP is accepting applications until January 23, 2023, for selected scholars to have access to webinars, and resources, come to an in-person retreat to discuss their research project and are matched with mixed methods expert consultants.
UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies Summer 2023 Visiting Professors
- Now accepting applications for this training program designed to assist investigators interested in conducting HIV-related research with U.S. ethnic minority communities to strengthen the investigators’ programs of research and obtain NIH funding. Currently, there are two tracks (funded by NIDA and NIAID) offering a broad range of research interests.
NIH Grant Funding Opportunities
Targeting Inflammasomes in Substance Abuse and HIV (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- Funding Opportunity Number: RFA-DA-24-004
- Posting Date: November 3, 2022
- Closing Date: March 15, 2023
Targeting Inflammasomes in Substance Abuse and HIV (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- Funding Opportunity Number: RFA-DA-24-003
- Posting Date: November 3, 2022
- Closing Date: March 16, 2023
Early Stage Investigator HIV/AIDS Research Using Nonhuman Primate (NHP) Models (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- Funding Opportunity Number: PAR-22-252
- Posting Date: October 28, 2022
- Closing Date: January 7, 2023
Toward Elucidating Mechanisms of HIV Pathogenesis within the Mission of the NIDDK (Pathogenesis TEAMS) (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
- Funding Opportunity Number: RFA-DK-20-022
- Posting Date: October 21, 2022
- Closing Date: March 15, 2023
Catalyst Award for Early-Stage Investigators (ESIs) Pursuing Research on HIV Comorbidities, Coinfections, and Complications (DP1- Clinical Trial Optional)
- Funding Opportunity Number: PAR-23-024
- Posting Date: August 25, 2022
- Closing Date: May 1, 2023
Exploratory studies to investigate mechanisms of HIV infection, replication, latency, and/or pathogenesis in the context of substance use disorders (R61/R33 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- Funding Opportunity Number: RFA-DA-24-002
- Posting Date: November 15, 2022
- Closing Date: March 23, 2023
Click here for additional funding opportunities available from
the National Institutes of Health