Message from the ERC-CFAR Director, Harris Goldstein, MD
Welcome to the Spring 2022 issue of the Einstein-Rockefeller-CUNY (ERC)-CFAR Newsletter. This newsletter informs and updates ERC-CFAR members about ERC-CFAR Cores, Scientific Working Group (SWG), resources and activities available to advance and accelerate their research programs. In addition, the ERC-CFAR Newsletter informs ERC-CFAR members about the accomplishments and research programs of our colleagues to stimulate further research collaborations and interactions among ERC-CFAR investigators across our three institutions. This issue of the ERC-CFAR Newsletter includes information about several new grants awarded to our members and highlights selected publications.
Last month, we received the official notice of award for the renewal of our ERC-CFAR for an additional 5 years. One result of the increased annual budget of $2.25M total cost (direct + indirect) from the NIH is a doubling of the total funding available for pilot project grants to $200,000. The Developmental Core will be issuing an RFA for applications to funds grants for up to $75,000 that will be due July 31st, 2022, to fund research by early-stage investigators or already NIH-funded but new-to-HIV investigators. Further information and details was in the RFA that was sent out last week.
The ERC-CFAR has organized two symposiums. The first, which took place on June 21, 2022, was the “Third NYC-wide HIV Research Symposium: Highlighting Cutting Edge Research” organized in collaboration with the REACH Delaney HIV Cure group co-led by Marina Caskey, MD (Rockefeller, Associate Director of the ERC-CFAR). This symposium, organized by Vinayaka Prasad, PhD, Theodora Hatziioannou, PhD, and Marina Caskey, MD, featured presentations by investigators from Rockefeller, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Weill Cornell Medicine and Einstein. The symposium was a huge success, with close to 100 people in attendance.
The second symposium will take place on the afternoon of September 15, 2022, and is organized in collaboration with the HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University. It is entitled, “Bio-Behavioral Symposium: Moving the Frontiers of PrEP Research Forward on Axes of Biology, Implementation Science and Behavior”. Further details will be provided, but please save the date. This should be a highly informative symposium and I strongly encourage our members to attend. I look forward to working with you to apply the ERC-CFAR resources to support our common goal of catalyzing the research needed to develop, evaluate and implement successful strategies to end the HIV epidemic. Please contact me with any requests or suggestions.
“Third NYC-wide HIV Research Symposium: Highlighting Cutting Edge Research”
The third annual symposium took place last week and featured four exciting talks from researchers at Rockefeller, Mount Sinai, Weill Cornell and Einstein.
This event featured the most cutting edge and recent HIV research from our NYC colleagues and had rich discussion and development of future collaborations.
New NIH Grant Awards
Congratulations to Christian Grov, PhD, MPH, (CUNY), Professor and Chair of the Department of Community Health and Social Sciences along with University of Miami Professor Adam Carrico, on being awarded a 2-year, $3,900,000 grant by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to create a large cohort focused on meth use and HIV risk among sexual minority men. This grant, titled “Optimizing HIV prevention for highly vulnerable methamphetamine-using sexual minority men”, will fund establishment of a cohort for testing scalable, telehealth motivational enhancement interventions to support PrEP use and reduce methamphetamine (meth) use. In addition, this cohort will be utilized to investigate whether meth use increases HIV vulnerability by altering rectal immune function and thereby amplifying biological vulnerability to HIV. Please see here for more details.
Congratulations to Ganjam V. Kalpana, PhD, Professor of Genetics and Microbiology & Immunology and Mark Trauner Faculty Scholar in Neuro-oncology, (Einstein) on being awarded a $3 million, 5-year R01 grant from the NIAID. The grant, titled “RNA-mimicry to guide the intra-cellular targeting of host virus protein and viral RNA-protein interactions to inhibit HIV replication”, will fund exploring the potential of a newly identified host-virus protein-protein interaction interface as a prospective anti-HIV drug target. The goal is to develop novel, first-in-class, dual-acting drugs which can target both virus-host protein and viral protein-viral RNA interactions. Dr. Kalpana hypothesizes that these drugs which could potently inhibit HIV- 1 replication may not induce drug resistance because any escape mutants are likely to be replication defective since the host factor is essential for viral replication and the.
Congratulations to Harris Goldstein, MD, Professor of Pediatrics and Microbiology & Immunology (Einstein) and Steven Almo, PhD, Professor and Chair of Biochemistry on being awarded a $4.2 million, 5 year R01 grant from the NIAID titled “Amplifying and redirecting CMV-specific CD8 T cells to provide sustained control of HIV infection”. This grant will fund the development and evaluation of new strategies to mobilize the immune system to prevent the emergence of HIV from the HIV reservoir in people with HIV (PWH) after ART cessation. These strategies will redirect the highly functional and resilient CMV-specific CD8 T cell responses in PWH to eliminate HIV-infected cells and thereby provide sustained immune control of HIV infection in the absence of ART.
New Publications
Congratulations to Matt Akiyama, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine (Einstein), for being highlighted in the HIV news from the NIDA newsletter on two recently published articles resulting from the NIDA’s Avenir Award he received last year. One paper was published in the Journal of Viral Hepatitis, titled “Hepatitis C treatment outcomes among people who inject drugs accessing harm reduction settings in Kenya” and another in Addiction titled “An intensive model of care for hepatitis C virus screening and treatment with direct-acting antivirals in people who inject drugs in Nairobi, Kenya: a model-based cost-effectiveness analysis”. These two papers showed that treating people who inject drugs (PWID) for Hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Kenya results in similar virological outcomes as groups of PWID in other LMICs and that screening and treating HCV could become more cost effective in Kenya with lower drug prices and modelled estimates for HCV disease care costs.
Viraj Patel, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine; (Einstein), Julia Arnsten, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology & Public Health, and Psychiatry and Behavioral Science (Einstein) and Tyler Andriano, a 4th year medical student at Einstein co-authored a paper in the journal PLOS ONE titled “Social determinants of health and HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) interest and use among young Black and Latinx sexual minority men”. Their paper analyzes the relationship between social determinants of health and intention to use PrEP. They found that Young Black and Latinx sexual minority men (YBLSMM) who had more unmet basic and economic needs were more likely to indicate intent to use PrEP but not follow up with actual use. Intention to use PrEP among YBLSMM is a likely marker of unmet SDOH needs, as YBLSMM with unmet needs may have limited resources to move from intention to action. Recognizing this association is crucial for effective care delivery in this population. We appreciate their acknowledgement of the ERC-CFAR grant in this paper.
In a joint research study between researchers at Einstein, CUNY, UCSF, and the NYC DOHMH, two papers were recently published that studied PrEP uptake in NYC Sexual Health Clinics. The first paper, “Self-reported use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis is highly accurate among Sexual Health Clinic patients in New York City”, showed that self-report had 80% sensitivity and 96% specificity compared to measured PrEP levels. These results indicated that self-report may be a valid indicator of PrEP uptake. The second paper, “Use of remnant specimens to assess use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among populations with risk for HIV infection: A novel approach”, was a cross-sectional study that showed that 1/3 of patients in a sexual health clinic were using PrEP, with significant differences along the lines of age, number of recent sexual partners, having sex/needle-sharing partners with HIV, and inconsistent condom use. They also found that PrEP use was exceedingly rare among women. The authors on these two papers are: Preeti Pathela, DrPH, MPH (NYC DOHMH); Saba Qasmieh, MPH (CUNY); Denis Nash, PhD, MPH (CUNY); Monica Gandhi, MD, MPH (UCSF); Elliot Rozen, MPH (NYC DOHMH); Hideaki Okochi, PhD (UCSF); Harris Goldstein, MD (Einstein) ; Betsy C Herold, MD (Einstein); Kelly Jamison, MPH (NYC DOHMH); and Julia A Schillinger, MD, MSc (NYC DOHMH). We appreciate their acknowledgement of the ERC-CFAR grant in this paper.
A global team of scientific collaborators recently published a paper in Nature Communications titled “T cell receptor and IL-2 signaling strength control memory CD8+ T cell functional fitness via chromatin remodeling”. The paper showed that the strength of T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling, and therefore the choice of epitopes (antigen fragments) used in vaccines, is essential for determining how CD8+ T cells integrate cytokine signals to form robust memory cells that can competitively re-expand upon a secondary antigen encounter. Combining strong TCR and cytokine signals during T-cell priming (vaccination) induces chromatin accessibility in promoters of genes encoding for stem-cell, cell-cycle and calcium-related proteins that correlate with greater T-cell fitness. Most currently approved vaccines rely on generating a strong antibody response, but few trigger potent memory CD8+ T cells, that are uniquely equipped to identify and kill pathogen-infected cells and tumor cells. Understanding how to improve the functional characteristics of memory CD8+ T cells could lead to the development of more effective T-cell vaccines and therapeutics. Congratulations to the ERC-CFAR affiliated author on this paper, Gregoire Lauvau, PhD, a professor of microbiology & immunology at Einstein, and members of his lab, Shu Shien Chin, Erik Guillen, Karina Ng.
Several ERC-CFAR-affiliated researchers recently published a paper in The Lancet Microbe titled “Effect of 3BNC117 and romidepsin on the HIV-1 reservoir in people taking suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ROADMAP): a randomized, open-label, phase 2A trial”. This trial studied the effect of the broadly neutralizing antibody 3BNC117 in combination with the latency-reversing agent romidepsin in people with HIV-1 who were taking suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART). The trial showed that the combination of 3BNC117 and romidepsin was safe but did not delay viral rebound during analytic treatment interruptions in individuals on long-term ART. The results of this trial could serve as a benchmark for further optimization of HIV-1 curative strategies among people with HIV-1 who are taking suppressive ART. This research was a international collaboration with Rockefeller-affiliated members of our ERC-CFAR, Yehuda Cohen, MD; Michel Nussenzweig, MD; Marina Caskey, MD, collaborating with researchers in Denmark and Germany.
Featured New Services Available to
ERC-CFAR Members
The CUNY ISPH Dashboard Project Team is pleased to announce the launch of New York State’s Hepatitis C (HCV) Dashboard for the purpose of measuring, tracking, and disseminating actionable information on progress toward eliminating HCV in New York State (NYS). This web-based, public-facing, interactive dashboard system will present targets and key outcomes of the initiative to eliminate HCV in NYS and serve as a comprehensive source of local and statewide HCV-related data.
Upcoming HIV-related Seminars
Symposia and Activities
Organized by the ERC-CFAR
- September 15, 2022 - Bio-Behavioral Symposium: Moving the Frontiers of PrEP Research Forward on Axes of Biology, Implementation Science and Behavior
Other HIV/AIDS program events
HIV-related Funding, Training and
Mentoring Opportunities
The Developmental core is happy to announce two major changes to our Catalytic Pilot grants program. One, the maximum funds awarded will be up to $75,000 per pilot grant awarded. Two, there will be two standard deadlines for ERC-CFAR Pilot grant submissions. The Summer deadline is going to be July 31st and the Spring deadline is going to be February 28th each year. A detailed RFA/notice to be released 6-8 weeks before each deadline, please see the attached notice for the July 31st date.
We are almost wrapping up our very successful and engaging season of bi-weekly Friday morning seminars and are starting to schedule next year’s speakers. If you are interested in presenting anytime next year, or would like to nominate someone to speak please fill out this form or reach out to Dr. Prasad or Sonya for more information. We encourage ESI’s to present and provide them with direct feedback and mentorship following their presentations.
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Fogarty HIV Research Training Program for Low-and Middle-Income Country Institutions (D43 Clinical Trial Optional)
- Funding Opportunity Number: PAR-22-151
- Posting Date: April 21, 2022
- Closing Date: August 22, 2022
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Infrastructure Development Training Programs for Critical HIV Research at Low-and Middle-Income Country Institutions (G11 Clinical Trials Not Allowed)
- Funding Opportunity Number: PAR-22-153
- Posting Date: April 21, 2022
- Closing Date: August 22, 2022
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Planning Grant for Fogarty HIV Research Training Program for Low- and Middle-Income Country Institutions (D71 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- Funding Opportunity Number: PAR-22-152
- Posting Date: April 21, 2022
- Closing Date: August 22, 2022
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Resources Access for Preclinical Integrated Drug Development (RAPIDD) Program (X01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- Funding Opportunity Number: PAR-22-185
- Posting Date: May 27, 2022
- Closing Date: September 1, 2022
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Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
- Funding Opportunity Number: PAR-22-105
- Posting Date: May 10, 2022
- Closing Date: September 7, 2022
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Understanding the Clinical History of Bacterial Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) to Accelerate Diagnostic and Vaccine Development (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- Funding Opportunity Number: RFA-AI-22-034
- Posting Date: May 13, 2022
- Closing Date: September 13, 2022
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A Multi-omics Approach to Immune Responses in HIV Vaccination and Intervention (P01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- Funding Opportunity Number: RFA-AI-22-038
- Posting Date: May 27, 2022
- Closing Date: October 13, 2022
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Transgender People: Immunity, Prevention, and Treatment of HIV and STIs (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- Funding Opportunity Number: PAR-22-186
- Posting Date: May 20, 2022
- Closing Date: December 7, 2022
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Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)
- Funding Opportunity Number: PAR-22-109
- Posting Date: May 10, 2022
- Closing Date: September 7, 2022
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Coordinating Center for the HIV/AIDS and Substance Use Cohorts Program (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- Funding Opportunity Number: RFA-DA-23-040
- Posting Date: April 26, 2022
- Closing Date: August 10, 2022
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Coordinating Center for the HIV/AIDS and Substance Use Cohorts Program (U24 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- Funding Opportunity Number: RFA-DA-23-040
- Posting Date: April 26, 2022
- Closing Date: August 10, 2022
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Understanding the role of Gut Immune dysfunction and Gut Microbiome in pathogenesis of Central Nervous System co-morbidities in people living with HIV (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- Funding Opportunity Number: RFA-MH-22-230
- Posting Date: April 25, 2022
- Closing Date: November 18, 2022