 Hey everyone, I'm Rave Derrazy and this is another weekly roundup of the latest HIV news for the week of August 7th through August 13th. Today, I'll be going through 10 articles covering topics ranging from the changes to the FDA policy, allowing gay bisexual men to donate blood, the World Bank's suspension of new loans to Uganda, over their recently passed anti-homosexuality act, a push for over-the-counter prep, the discovery of BNABS or broadly neutralizing antibodies that contribute to HIV virus control and have led to post-treatment controllers, AGT's announcement that Ademune will be going public in the coming months under ticker symbol HIV and more. I won't be reading the articles per se, but I will give you a brief summary and sometimes I'll throw in my own opinion and or commentary. If you want access to the complete article, all links will be available in the description box below. All right, jumping in number one via NBC News, FDA policy allowing more gay and bisexual men to donate blood goes into effect. The American Red Cross has implemented a significant change in the Food and Drug Administration, FDA policy, allowing gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships with other men and those who haven't recently engaged in anal sex to donate blood. This move has been applauded as a victory for LGBTQ rights, with activists and medical groups advocating for this change, arguing that the previous restrictions aimed at preventing HIV transmission were discriminatory and outdated given advances in testing technology. While the new policy is seen as a positive step, some concerns have been raised about continued exclusions such as prohibition of donations from individuals using HIV prevention medications. In 2015, men who had sex with men had to defer their blood donation for 12 months after their last sexual encounter with a man. In the early days of the COVID pandemic, this deferral period was reduced to just three months. Interestingly, the article goes on to say the new FDA screening policy forbids donations from anyone, regardless of their sex, who reports that within the past three months they have had a new sexual partner or multiple partners and who during that time have had anal sex. Consequently, a population of heterosexuals, who are not in monogamous long-term relationships, are now newly ineligible to donate blood. A 2020 study estimated at least one-third of heterosexuals engage in anal sex. The policy also forbids people from donating blood if they've taken PrEP within the past three months. However, those who have taken the long-acting injectable form of PrEP, aptitude, are excluded for 12 months since their last injection. Apparently, the rationale is that those on PrEP might be more likely to test false negative, and in rare cases, people on PrEP have experienced breakthrough cases of HIV, typically due to rare drug-resistant strains of HIV. Number two, via SineMag, City of Hope receives $32.3 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to Advance Innovative Therapies for Patients. Researchers at the City of Hope, a prominent research and treatment center in the U.S. have been granted $32.3 million by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, also known as CIRM, to conduct three phase one clinical trials involving innovative cell and gene therapy treatments. These trials will address conditions including HIV, acute myeloid leukemia, and severe aplastic anemia. The research involves cutting-edge therapies, including chimeric antigen receptor, known as CAR-CAR-T cell therapy, where patients' immune cells are engineered to target specific diseases. This funding demonstrates the institution's commitment to advancing gene therapies and could lead to significant advancements in treating various serious illnesses. Recently, the City of Hope patient was revealed as the fifth person functionally cured of HIV via a stem cell transplant. I have the amazing opportunity to interview him at the annual meeting for the Hope Collaboratory in the Bay Area in September. So be on the lookout for that interview. I'm sure it will be fascinating. And if you haven't seen my interview with the London patient, Adam Castigio, the second person to be functionally cured of HIV, I'll put a card up here so you can watch that. Number three via Washington Blade, HIV-positive DC attorney commissioned as officer with US Army National Guard. Nicholas Harrison, a gay attorney and member of the US Army National Guard, was commissioned as a first lieutenant in the DC Army National Guard in a ceremony on August 5th. This came over a year after Harrison, who was diagnosed with HIV in 2012, successfully challenged the military's ban on soldiers with HIV becoming commissioned officers. A landmark US District Court ruling in April 2022 declared the military's HIV restrictions unconstitutional, allowing HIV-positive individuals who are asymptomatic and have an undetectable viral load to serve and become officers. Harrison's journey and successful challenge are seen as a significant advancement in removing barriers for people with HIV wishing to serve in the military. In remarks following his official commission, Harrison said, my own path has been far from conventional, leading me into the heart of a storm that allowed me to become part of a larger narrative, challenging the military's discriminatory HIV policies through a landmark court case brought by Lambda Legal and the Modern Military Association of America. Number four via Biomed Central, emergency departments as underutilized venues to provide HIV prevention services to female sex workers in Nairobi, Kenya. Female sex workers in sub-Saharan Africa are at a higher risk of HIV transmission, while HIV prevention tools like PEP and PREP are available through female sex worker clinics. Their use remains low. This study focused on female sex workers in Nairobi, Kenya, who used emergency departments over a year, aiming to understand the factors related to their usage. Findings revealed that female sex workers using emergency departments didn't show improved use of HIV prevention tools compared to those visiting clinics only. Female sex workers visiting emergency departments reported lower HIV testing rates, poorer health status and higher exposure to HIV positive partners. This suggests a need to optimize emergency departments as venues for HIV prevention among female sex workers in Kenya. However, the study also noted barriers like gender-based violence, discrimination and stigma that impacted female sex workers' access to care. The results emphasize the importance of tailored strategies and training for health care providers to address the unique needs of female sex workers and improve HIV prevention efforts. Number five via HIV.gov, tribute to Dr. Stefan E. Wallace, the HIV community has lost a thoughtful leader and esteemed colleague. The HIV Vaccine Trials Network, HVTN, has announced the passing of Dr. Stefan E. Wallace, Director of External Relations for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center's HVTN on August 5th, 2023. Dr. Wallace was a research epidemiologist and public health and social justice leader. In addition to serving as HVTN's Director of External Relations, he had faculty appointments at Fred Hutch, the University of Washington and Yale as a staff scientist, clinical assistant professor and affiliate professor, respectively. Throughout all aspects of his work, he focused on increasing positive health outcomes for members of racial, ethnic and gender sexual minority groups in the United States and internationally. As HVTN noted in their announcement, he built bridges, made connections and lifted people up. Number six via Health Policy Watch. World Bank suspension of new loans to Uganda over anti homosexuality law is a warning to other countries. The World Bank, one of the world's largest sources of funding for developing countries, decided to halt new public loans to Uganda as a response to the country's anti homosexuality Act. This should serve as a warning to other nations contemplating similar discriminatory laws, say human rights activists. The World Bank's stance suggests that inclusive societies are better for business and economic growth. This move comes as Kenya and Ghana consider anti homosexuality laws, while Tanzania and Ethiopia clamped down on LGBTQ plus individuals. The bank's decision is seen as a step towards addressing the adverse impacts of the Anti Homosexuality Act. Uganda's Ministry of Health, however, noted that health services must be delivered without discrimination or stigma. Uganda's $500 million grant from PEPFAR has been temporarily suspended. Over 90%, 90% of Ugandans with HIV rely on PEPFAR sponsored antiretroviral treatment. Number seven via the New England Journal of Medicine. Free the PEP over the counter access to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis. The FDA's recent approval of the first over the counter oral contraceptive pill has highlighted the potential benefits of over the counter access to medications promoting sexual health, including pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV. Just like contraception, PEP's effectiveness depends on accessibility, which currently faces significant barriers. Over the counter availability of PEP could remove these hurdles, enabling people to obtain it without disclosing private behaviors to clinicians and potentially reducing stigma. It could be particularly helpful for marginalized groups like Black and Latino men who have sex with men. Combining PEP with HIV self-tests and over the counter packages could enhance its effectiveness. Although challenges and safety concerns exist, similar to over the counter pain medications, appropriate labeling and guidance could mitigate risks. While over the counter PEP won't solve all issues, it could significantly enhance accessibility and contribute to reducing HIV transmission. Number eight, via news medical. New pathway for HIV to enter nucleus of healthy cells identified. A study published in the journal Nature Communications has revealed a new pathway used by HIV to invade healthy cells nuclei. This is crucial for the virus to replicate and spread to other cells. The researchers identified three proteins necessary for this spreading process and developed a potential drug molecules to target one of these proteins, offering hope for new aids treatments. Although we understand that HIV needs to access the cells nucleus to integrate with the cells DNA, how it gets past the cells protective membrane has remained unclear and debated. The study's innovative findings indicate that HIV enters cells packaged within a membrane and pushes the protective nuclear membrane inward, creating an indentation called a nuclear invagination through which the virus enters the nucleus. The identified proteins, RAV7, VAPA and ORP3 play key roles in this process and disrupting their interaction could potentially halt the infection. While the research is at a pre-clinical stage, the synthesized drugs hold promise for aids, other viral diseases and even metastatic cancers. The study's implications extend beyond HIV prompting further research into its role in diseases like Alzheimer's and various cancers. Number nine, via Medical Express. Remission from HIV-1 infection. Discovery of broadly neutralizing antibodies that contribute to virus control. Scientists from the Institute Pasteur, Insurm and the Paris Public Hospital Network have investigated how neutralizing antibodies or BNABS contribute to the long-term control of HIV-1 in some individuals after antiretroviral treatment has been discontinued. These individuals known as post-treatment controllers are rare cases where HIV-1 carriers who initiated early treatment and maintained it for several years can control the virus even after treatment cessation. They were identified several years ago in part through the Visconti study, which assembled the largest cohort of long-term post-treatment controllers in France. The researchers found that a specific family of broadly neutralizing antibodies, BNABS, particularly the antibody EPTC 112, played a key role in controlling the virus by neutralizing various viral variants, nice alliteration, or strains, and eliminating infected cells. This discovery may open up new therapeutic avenues for managing HIV-1 infections using BNABS. A clinical trial involving the administration of broadly neutralizing antibodies is planned to begin in France to test their efficacy and inducing viral remission after antiretroviral treatment discontinuation. 69 patients in the primary HIV-1 infection phase are planned to be enrolled. They will receive a short-term antiretroviral treatment followed by a therapy with two BNABS. It will be possible to stop therapy after a year of close monitoring based on a detailed set of criteria, says Hugo Mouquet. And last but not least, number 10 via Adimmune. Adimmune to go public through business combination with 10x Capital Venture Acquisition Corp. 3. American Gene Technologies International, Inc., and 10x Capital Venture Acquisition Corp. A special purpose acquisition company also is known as SPAC, announced they've entered into a merger agreement for a business combination resulting in a combined company being publicly listed as Adimmune. American Gene Technologies will still exist separately as its own company. The new company, Adimmune, expected to be listed under the ticker symbol HIV, is a clinical stage gene and cell therapy firm focusing on developing a functional cure for HIV. The merger aims to accelerate their HIV cure research and commercialization efforts. Jeff Galvin, AGT CEO, will head Adimmune. I recently published a video about the announcement of this new company, Adimmune, and I'll put up a card here where you can watch that. Also, their team reached out to me on the day of the announcement to see if I'd be interested in doing an interview for their upcoming IPO. While I am very interested in doing an interview, I suggested we do that closer to the IPO date, which is slated for first quarter of 2024. So stay tuned for that. You can find links to all these articles in the info box below this video. I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but shout out to subscriber Tana Anderson for the continuing support and $29 in super thanks on the Dr. Marcus Conant interview video. If you'd like to support in this way, you can do so via super thanks as well. And I've also included a new PayPal link in the description box below as well. If you'd like to follow along with more of my personal life, you can do so via Instagram. You can also engage in discussion with me on Twitter and threads. And of course, you can find me on Facebook, TikTok and LinkedIn, all links below. 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