![Preventing HIV Infection Among High-Risk Women]()
Imbalances among microbes in the vagina, collectively known as the vaginal microbiome, can increase a woman’s risk for contracting HIV and may affect how well pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) works. The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development has awarded a five-year, $2.6 million grant to Betsy C. Herold, M.D., to study how the vaginal microbiome affects PrEP efficacy. The findings could help in developing better preventive measures for young women at high risk for HIV infection. The study will identify which of several new PrEP formulas remain effective when used by women with different microbiomes under real-world conditions. Dr. Herold is the Harold and Muriel Block Chair in Pediatrics, director of the Translational Prevention Research Center, professor and chief of the division of pediatric infectious diseases, and vice chair for research in the department of pediatrics. Her co-investigators are Marla J. Keller, M.D., Tao Wang, M.D., Ph.D. (both at Einstein) and Greg Buck, Ph.D., of Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. (1R01HD098977-01)
Posted on: Wednesday, May 15, 2019