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Canadian researcher, Dr. Kelly MacDonald,
explores herpesviruses as a potential vector for an HIV vaccine
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Dr. Kelly MacDonald’s extensive research to develop novel vaccine prototypes involving vaccine vectors from the herpesvirus has led her back to her roots at the University of Manitoba where she was recently recruited to the position of H.E. Sellers Research Chair in Medicine, Head, Section of Adult Infectious Diseases, Internal Medicine.
Dr. MacDonald received her medical degree from the University of Manitoba and was subsequently trained in internal medicine at the University of Washington. She did her post-doctoral research training at the University of Manitoba and the University of Toronto in immunology and trained in epidemiology at Tuft’s University in Boston. She spent the last 19 years as the Director of the HIV Program in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto, and concurrently as a microbiologist and infectious disease clinician.
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"For many years my research has involved trying to understand immune resistance to HIV infection," she says. “Initially I had done epidemiological and immunologic studies with the Manitoba group in patient populations in Nairobi, Kenya. This led me back to the lab to much more fundamental research in mouse and other animal models, trying to understand how we could recapitulate or develop a model of inducing immune responses that we were seeing naturally that might protect people."
READ MORE
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Report on the Evaluation of the ACO
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An evaluation led by Cathexis Consulting Inc., an external evaluation firm, was recently conducted to determine the extent to which the ACO has implemented activities as planned, and to determine the extent to which the ACO’s objectives have been achieved. This evaluation report is intended to support the ACO in fulfilling their Contribution Agreement obligations to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
READ THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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VIRTUAL MINI SYMPOSIUM
CHVI Large Team Grants: An Update – December 3, 2015
The ACO invites you to join us for a virtual mini symposium on “CHVI Large Team Grants: An Update". This second virtual mini symposium will feature some of the lessons learned since the CHVI Large Team projects began. It will include a brief background of the CHVI but will focus on the successes and challenges of the large team grants including potential next steps and further opportunities for collaboration.
To register, please contact aco-projects@icid.com.
READ MORE
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NEW AND EARLY CAREER INVESTIGATOR WORKSHOP
Career Pathways for Biomedical Scientists – February 4-5, 2016 | Toronto, Ontario Application Deadline: December 10, 2015
We are accepting applications for our New and Early Career Investigator Workshop titled “Career Pathways for Biomedical Scientists". The aim of this workshop is to identify various career pathways and options for new and early career investigators with an interest in HIV vaccine research and development.
Trainees interested in attending the workshop should apply here by December 10, 2015. Travel and accommodation assistance will be available for 15 successful applicants within North America. You will be notified of your acceptance to the workshop by December 15, 2015.
MORE INFORMATION
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Taking culture seriously in biomedical HIV prevention trials: A meta-synthesis of qualitative studies.
Expert Rev Vaccines. 2015 Nov 11. [Epub ahead of print]
Rubincam C, Lacombe-Duncan A, Newman PA
A substantial gap exists between widespread acknowledgement of the importance of incorporating cultural sensitivity in biomedical HIV prevention trials and empirical evidence to guide the operationalization of cultural sensitivity in these trials. We conducted a systematic literature search and qualitative meta-synthesis to explore how culture is conceptualized and operationalized in global biomedical HIV prevention trials. READ MORE
Frontline Health Service Providers’ Perspectives on HIV Vaccine Trials among Female Sex Workers and Men Who Have Sex with Men in Karnataka, South India.
PLoS One. 2015 Oct 30;10(10):e0141822. Doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141822.
Ramanaik S, McClarty LM, Khan S, Ramesh BM, Doshi M, Becker ML, Lorway RR
Little qualitative research is available on the role of frontline health service providers (FHSPs) in the implementation of clinical trials, particularly in developing countries. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study about the perspectives of FHSPs on future HIV vaccine trials involving female sex workers (FSWs) and men who have sex with men (MSM) in three districts of Karnataka, India. In particular, we explore FHSPs' knowledge of and views on clinical trials in general, and examine their potential willingness to play a role if such trials were introduced or implemented in the region. READ MORE
Evaluating the efficacy of therapeutic HIV vaccines through analytical treatment interruptions
J Int AIDS Soc. 2015 Nov 9;18(1):20497. doi: 10.7448/IAS.18.1.20497. eCollection 2015.
Graziani GM, Angel JB
The development of an effective therapeutic HIV vaccine that induces immunologic control of viral replication, thereby eliminating or reducing the need for antiretroviral therapy (ART), would be of great value. Besides the obvious challenges of developing a therapeutic vaccine that would generate effective, sustained anti-HIV immunity in infected individuals is the issue of how to best assess the efficacy of vaccine candidates. READ MORE
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Resources
Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative (CHVI) Interactive Projects Map
The CHVI's Interactive Projects Map highlights recipients of CHVI funding around the world and visual guide to some of Canada's contribution to HIV/AIDS research. TRY THE MAP to find out where Canadian HIV vaccine research is taking place.
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Funding Opportunities
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
The CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative is pleased to announce the
Operating Grant: Innovative Biomedical and Clinical HIV/AIDS Research Funding Opportunity.
The Operating Grant: Innovative Biomedical and Clinical HIV/AIDS Research will support innovative or high-risk biomedical and clinical research directly relevant to the priority objectives of the CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative.
The specific objectives of the funding opportunity are to:
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Enable new and established investigators to undertake innovative research projects in new areas of investigation or take previous discoveries in new directions; |
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Promote the development and testing of novel research tools and methodologies); and
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Support high-risk research projects with the potential for high impact, breakthrough and/or transformative advances.
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Please feel free to contact the CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative (HIVAIDS-VIHSIDA@cihr-irsc.gc.ca) for more information.
View all current opportunities
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Conferences
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November 29 to December 4, 2015
International Conference on AIDS & STI in Africa (ICASA)
Harare, Zimbabwe
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November 30 to December 2, 2015
3rd International Conference on HIV/AIDS, STDs & STIs
Atlanta, USA
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February 22 to 25 2016
Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) 2016
Boston, USA
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March 20 to 24, 2016
Keystone Symposia – HIV Persistence: Pathogenesis and Eradication (X7)
California, USA
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March 20 to 24, 2016
Keystone Symposia – HIV Vaccines (X8)
California, USA
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May 12 to 15 2016
CAHR 2016
Winnipeg, Canada
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→
See full list of conferences
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You are receiving this email because you registered to receive news updates from the ACO
or you are a member of a
CHVI-funded
project team.
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Annual Update
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The Annual Report offers highlights of ACO activities over the past fiscal year. Read our 2014-2015 Annual Update.
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White Paper
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The ACO has developed a White Paper to foster effective coordination of key players across the Canadian HIV vaccine research landscape.
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About Us
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The ACO was established by the Government of Canada and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in November 2011 at the International Centre for Infectious Diseases (ICID), a
not-for-profit,
non-governmental organization based in Winnipeg.
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Address
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ACO at
International Centre for Infectious Diseases
515 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, MB, Canada
R3B 2E9
Tel.: 204 946 0908
Fax: 204 946 0927
email:
aco@icid.com
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