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Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative (CHVI)
Research and Development
Alliance Coordinating Office (ACO)

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June 2016

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Researcher Profile: Dr. Jean-Philippe Julien

Dr. Jean-Philippe Julien

“I believe that the discovery of vaccines revolutionized medicine,” Dr. Jean-Philippe Julien states in an interview with Christine Wolfl for SickKids. Dr. Julien is a scientist in the Molecular Structure and Function Program at SickKids Research Institute, and an assistant professor at the Departments of Biochemistry and Immunology at the University of Toronto.

Originally from Baie-Comeau, a small town in North-Eastern Quebec, Dr. Julien moved to Victoria, BC after high school. He then completed his undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at McGill University and obtained his PhD from the University of Toronto under Dr. Emil Pai. Following his PhD studies he became a fellow at The Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, California.

Dr. Julien’s research focuses on “the structural biology of immune receptors”, his particular interest is in “immune receptors on the B cell – a key component of our adaptive immune system.” In the interview with Wolfl, Dr. Julien states that his “ultimate goal” is to use the information from his research to “design better vaccines”. He also states that, “vaccines are powerful educational tools to train our immune system.”

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Upcoming Events

WEBINAR:

Reverse Vaccinology for HIV Immunogen Design

Wednesday, July 6, 2016 | 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EST

This webinar will provide Canadian researchers and members of the Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative Research and Development Alliance with an increased understanding of structural biology to identify sites of vulnerability on Env visualizing the HIV Env glycan shield at atomic resolution. This webinar will be presented by Dr. Jean-Philippe Julien from the SickKids Research Institute and University of Toronto.

MORE INFORMATION.

HIV Env Vaccine Manufacturing Workshop

September 15, 2016 – NIAID, 5601 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD, USA

Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise

Following up on the successful 2015 Env Manufacturing workshop organized by the National Institutes of Health, the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise will be hosting a workshop to review progress in HIV Env vaccine manufacturing. The workshop will focus in depth on a set of key challenges, review latest developments in the field, and cover relevant lessons learned from other fields. For more information, contact yvoronin@vaccineenterprise.org.

2nd International Workshop on Microbiome in HIV, Pathogenesis, Prevention and Treatment

November 17 & 18, 2016 – Bethesda, MD, USA

Virology Education

The understanding of the human microbiome continues to grow rapidly; however information on the role of HIV infection on changes in the microbiome is still limited. Whereas research in this area may be presented at major conferences, there is often limited time for in-depth discussion and debate among cross-disciplinary experts on new data and their implications. The aim of this workshop is to provide increased opportunities for discussion and exchange of knowledge following formal presentation of the latest research.

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New Research

Envelope residue 375 substitutions in simian-human immunodeficiency viruses enhance CD4 binding and replication in rhesus macaques.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 May 31. pii: 201606636. [Epub ahead of print]

Li H, Kong R, Ding W, Lee FH, et al.

Most simian-human immunodeficiency viruses (SHIVs) bearing envelope (Env) glycoproteins from primary HIV-1 strains fail to infect rhesus macaques (RMs). We hypothesized that inefficient Env binding to rhesus CD4 (rhCD4) limits virus entry and replication and could be enhanced by substituting naturally occurring simian immunodeficiency virus Env residues at position 375, which resides at a critical location in the CD4-binding pocket and is under strong positive evolutionary pressure across the broad spectrum of primate lentiviruses. SHIVs containing primary or transmitted/founder HIV-1 subtype A, B, C, or D Envs with genotypic variants at residue 375 were constructed and analyzed in vitro and in vivo.

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CRISPR/Cas9: a double-edged sword when used to combat HIV infection

Retrovirology. 2016; 13: 37. Published online 2016 May 27. doi: 10.1186/s12977-016-0270-0

Liang C, Wainberg MA, Das A, Berkhout B.

The major barrier to eradication of HIV infection is the latent viral reservoir that persists despite long-term highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). The main reason for the existence of latently infected cells is that proviral DNA becomes integrated into the cellular genome. Theoretically, the elimination of proviral DNA from every infected cell should therefore be able to cure HIV infection. This concept has been tested in studies that employed designed recombinases, zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) bearing sequence-specific DNA-binding modules that recognize HIV DNA sequences.

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Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies to HIV and Their Role in Vaccine Design.

Annu Rev Immunol. 2016 May 20;34:635-59. Doi: 10.1146/annurev-immunol-041015-055515.

Burton DR, Hangartner L.

HIV employs multiple means to evade the humoral immune response, particularly the elicitation of and recognition by broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs). Such antibodies can act antivirally against a wide spectrum of viruses by targeting relatively conserved regions on the surface HIV envelope trimer spike. Elicitation of and recognition by bnAbs are hindered by the arrangement of spikes on virions and the relatively difficult access to bnAb epitopes on spikes, including the proximity of variable regions and a high density of glycans.

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Call For Nominations

CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Advisory Committee (2016)

DEADLINE: JULY 29, 2016

CIHR is seeking qualified individuals to join the CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Advisory Committee (CHARAC). The CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity (III) provides scientific leadership for the CIHR HIV/AIDS Research Initiative, which is responsible for the management and oversight of the research component of the Government of Canada initiative in HIV/AIDS, namely the Federal Initiative to Address HIV/AIDS in Canada. Nominations are being sought for CHARAC membership, including individuals with basic, clinical, health services and population health research expertise, with community- based research experience, with health research expertise regarding vulnerable populations (including Indigenous and gay men’s health), and with lived experience of HIV/AIDS.

MORE INFORMATION



Funding Opportunities

Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Catalyst Grant: HIV/AIDS Community-Based Research (Summer 2016 Competition)

DEADLINE: 2016-06-28

The CIHR HIV/AIDS Community-Based Research (CBR) Program supports the partnered work of Community Leaders and Researchers in knowledge development and capacity-building initiatives of relevance to communities engaged in the fight against HIV/AIDS. All opportunities offered through the CBR Program are available in two distinct funding streams: Aboriginal and General.

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Clinician-Scientist Salary Award: 2016-2017

DEADLINE: 2016-10-04

The Clinician Scientist program has two phases. Phase 1 provided stipends for up to six years of training support and is no longer being launched. Phase 2 provides a contribution to the salary of the recipient for up to six years (initial three-year award followed by a possible three-year renewal award).

This opportunity provides funding for the Phase 2 component of the program and is designed to provide outstanding Clinician Scientists the opportunity to develop and demonstrate their independence in initiating and conducting health research through provision of a contribution to their salary.

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Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program (2016-2017)

DEADLINE: 2016-09-21

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program provides funding to the very best postdoctoral applicants, both nationally and internationally, who will positively contribute to the country's economic, social and research-based growth.

MORE INFORMATION


More Funding Resources



Employment Opportunities

Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal – Laboratory of Human Retrovirology

Postdoctoral Position
(Applicant should have a PhD in virology or immunology, obtained in 2013 or after)

A postdoctoral position is available in the Laboratory of Human Retrovirology at the IRCM to study Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-host interactions governing HIV replication, transmission and persistence. Research projects are particularly focused on understanding the role of HIV accessory proteins (Vpr, Vpu and Nef) in evading intrinsic/innate immunity using cell-based and humanized mouse models (NSG or/and BLT). These research projects are funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

MORE INFORMATION


Graduate Student Position (PhD)
(Applicant should have an MSc in microbiology or immunology)

A Graduate student position (PhD) is available in the Laboratory of Human Retrovirology at the IRCM to study Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-host interactions governing HIV replication, transmission and persistence. Research projects are particularly focused on understanding the role of HIV accessory proteins (Vpr, Vpu and Nef) in evading intrinsic/innate immunity using cell-based and humanized mouse models (NSG or/and BLT). These research projects are funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

MORE INFORMATION


For more information on the research program of the laboratory, please refer to the Research Unit’s website.


Conferences

July 18 to 22, 2016
AIDS 2016
Durban, ZA

October 17 to 20, 2016
HIV Research for Prevention
Chicago, USA

December 3 to 4, 2016
National HIV PrEP Summit
San Francisco, USA

December 6 to 8, 2016
12th Canadian Immunization Conference (CIC 2016)
Ottawa, CA

February 13 – 16, 2017
Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2017)
Seattle, USA

 
 



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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
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Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative Research and Development Alliance Coordinating Office

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