 Hey everyone, Raif Derrazy here and this is another weekly roundup of the latest HIV news for the week of July 31st to August 6th. Today I'll be going through nine articles covering topics ranging from the ASC 22 plus chitamide phase 2 clinical trial for a functional HIV cure, a genetic variant linked to lower levels of HIV virus in Africa, a new HIV drug formulation that could improve outcomes for children worldwide, the AIDS relief program under threat by anti-abortion groups in the US, 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 commentary. If you want access to the complete articles, all links will be available in the description box below this video. Number one, via Connecticut News 12. Stratford HIV specialist honored by International AIDS Society for his research. Dr. Gary Blick, an HIV specialist from Stratford, has been honored for groundbreaking research by the International AIDS Society. His non-profit organization, Healthcare Advocates International conducted a two-year study that challenges the traditional approach of prescribing three or four HIV drugs daily. The study found that a two-drug regimen is equally effective, even for patients with drug resistance. This discovery could revolutionize HIV treatment, making it safer for patients and saving over one billion annually in the US Medicaid program. It could also have a significant impact on global HIV efforts potentially benefiting millions of individuals in economically developing countries. Dr. Blick's research is set to be presented at the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa in Zimbabwe in December. Number two, via University of Cambridge. Genetic variant linked to lower levels of HIV virus in people of African ancestry. Researchers have identified a new genetic variant that may explain why some people of African ancestry have naturally lower viral loads of HIV. This discovery reported in nature is the first new genetic variant related to HIV infection in over 25 years of research. The variant found in the CHD1L gene on chromosome 1 is associated with reduced viral load in carriers. Between 4% and 13% of people of African origin are thought to carry this particular variant. As HIV disproportionately affects people in Africa, this finding could lead to new treatment approaches for those living with HIV. Number three, via Medical Express. New HIV drug formulation could improve treatment outcomes for children worldwide. Researchers at the University of Colorado and Schott's medical campus have developed a new drug formulation to treat children with HIV. The formulation contains three medications, dolutegravir, abacavir, and lemivudine in a single fixed dose combination, also known as FDC, that is safe, effective, and well tolerated. Currently FDC treatments for children are limited. The combination can be used for children weighing 13 to 88 pounds. The study involved 57 children in four countries and 98% of the 54 participants who continue this study had their viral load suppressed below 200 copies per milliliter, also known as undetectable, after 24 weeks of treatment. This new child-friendly formulation could improve treatment outcomes, ease administration for caregivers, and make medications more accessible to children living with HIV worldwide. Despite making up only 4% of the world's HIV population, children account for 15% of AIDS-related deaths. The long-term safety, tolerability, and effectiveness through 12 months of treatment is under analysis now and will be reported separately. Number four via Cosmos Magazine, HIV Science as Art. The HIV Sciences Art Exhibition in Brisbane features Taiwanese artist Kyren Lu's work titled Untransmitable. The photograph showcases a transparent phallus filled with a rainbow assortment of pills, symbolizing the U equals U equation, undetectable equals untransmitable, that highlights the idea that people living with HIV who maintain an undetectable viral load through antiretroviral therapy cannot sexually transmit the virus to HIV-negative partners. The exhibition involved 12 total artists, each in collaboration with one of 12 scientists presenting at the International AIDS Conference in July. The exhibition aims to broaden the conversation around HIV through the collaboration of artists and scientists, exploring the emotional aspects of HIV treatment and prevention. Here is a close-up photograph and then the full photograph that was on exhibit. In speaking of a collaboration between Science and Art, I released a video showcasing an art project we in the Hope Cab did with scientists researchers at last year's meeting. If you haven't seen it yet, I'll put a card up here so you can watch that. Number five via the Mosaic Project, the Catalyst Study, catalyzing access to new prevention products to stop HIV. The Catalyst Study, launched by Mosaic, a global project funded by PEPFAR, aims to provide an assess and enhance service delivery package for HIV prevention. The study will include oral pre-exposure prophylaxis known as PREP, the PREP ring, also known as the depivirine vaginal ring, and injectable cabotegravir for PREP. These products will be provided to women at 28 PEPFAR delivery sites in Kenya, Lesotho, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. The goal is to generate evidence to accelerate access to a choice-based HIV prevention portfolio and ensure new prevention products reach those who need them most. The study will analyze the implementation of the service delivery package, patterns of PREP use and effectiveness, and clinically relevant indicators among PREP users. The findings will inform the introduction and scale up of new PREP methods and improve PREP service delivery. Number six via the New York Times, AIDS relief program under threat as GOP insists on abortion restriction. Speaking of PEPFAR, the President's emergency program for AIDS relief, one of America's most successful foreign aid programs is facing challenges due to abortion politics. The program, which has saved 25 million lives and enjoys bipartisan support, is set to expire in September next month. House Republicans are not moving forward with a bill to reauthorize it for another five years because abortion opponents are insisting on adding abortion-related restrictions. Democrats are demanding a clean reauthorization without added policy restrictions. The impasse is causing concern among champions of the program, who fear may be sucked into a partisan fight over social issues. PEPFAR is a $7 billion a year program that operates in more than 50 countries worldwide. Republican Representative Christopher H. Smith of New Jersey's 4th District will not agree to renew the program unless it is subject to the so-called Mexico City policy that would borrow the program from partnering with any organization that provides abortion services, no matter the source of funding. Three groups have sided with Mr. Smith, the Family Research Council, the Heritage Foundation's Political Action Arm, and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. They intend to score the votes for renewing PEPFAR in order to put pressure on most Republicans. These groups in opposition have pointed to new language added to the new PEPFAR operational plan by the Biden administration, including encouraging the program to partner with organizations that advocate for institutional reforms in law and policy regarding sexual, reproductive, and economic rights of women, which some have argued is code for a plan to integrate abortion with HIV AIDS work. And other language that states PEPFAR programs should advance human rights and decriminalization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex communities. And the response is claiming PEPFAR to be quote, a massive slush fund for abortion and LGBT advocacy, end quote. I will most certainly be keeping an eye as this unfolds and keep you updated because the implications could be massive. Number seven via AVAC. AVAC applauds the selection of Dr. Jean Morazo as new director of NIAID. AVAC celebrates the appointment of Dr. Jean Morazo as the new director of the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, NIAID, which oversees critical investments in HIV and sexually transmitted infection research. Dr. Morazo's expertise in HIV prevention and STI research, as well as her advocacy for community engagement, make her an excellent choice for this pivotal role. She has led groundbreaking studies on pre-exposure prophylaxis and other complex issues impacting women's health and infectious diseases. Dr. Morazo will be the first woman and the first openly gay director of NIAID, succeeding Dr. Anthony Fauci. Her appointment signals a commitment to advancing global health equity and defeating HIV. Number eight via South African Medical Journal. Urgent appeal to allow all professional nurses and midwives to prescribe pre-exposure prophylaxis PREP in South Africa. The article highlights the urgent need to simplify the provision of pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention in South Africa, which has the highest number of people living with HIV in the world. The current national PREP program faces barriers due to the requirement that only nurses with comprehensive antiretroviral therapy, NIMART training, can prescribe PREP. However, NIMART trained nurses are already burdened with managing ART for millions of HIV patients, making it challenging to provide PREP to those who need it. The article suggests allowing any professional nurse or midwife to attend PREP training and prescribe PREP to simplify and improve access to PREP services, contributing to increased PREP initiation and effective HIV prevention. And number nine via PR Newswire, clinical results of ASC 22 in Vefolumab in combination with chitamide. I'm not sure how to pronounce that for functional cure of HIV infection presented at the 12th IAS conference on HIV science. Ascleetus pharma presented clinical results of their investigational drug ASC 22 in combination with chitamide, chitamide, chitamide for the functional cure of HIV infection at a medical conference. The phase two trial involved 15 participants living with HIV who received ASC 22 and chitamide alongside antiretroviral therapy. The studies show that this combination treatment effectively activated latent HIV reservoirs, which are cells that contain the virus but are not actively producing it. While the treatment was well tolerated, further research is needed to fully understand its effectiveness. You can find links to all these articles in the info box below this video. By the way, there were at least a couple other articles from AIDS map that I may have considered including in this week's video, but their website wasn't accessible when I was doing research for the video. I do want to correct a mistake I made in last week's HIV news video. I said I was intending to switch to disco V. I am in fact not attempting to switch to disco V. What I meant to say is I'm attempting to switch to Dovado. Dovado is a two drug once daily pill and I've just reached out to my ID specialist to see if we can do that ASAP. So I'll keep you posted. You'll also find links to my socials where you can follow along other parts of my life, including Instagram, engage in discussion on Twitter and threads. And of course, you can find me on Facebook, TikTok and LinkedIn. As a reminder, the telegram group is live for people living with HIV. We have over 900 members from all around the world. You can find the link to join in the info box below as well. Shout out to subscriber Tan Anderson for the continued support and $29 in super thanks on the Fletcher Chew interview video. Shout out to subscriber Eddie Yeo for the amazing $61 donation on that same video via the new PayPal link in the description box. Please like this video, subscribe if you haven't already and hit that bell so you get a notification every time a new video comes out. And please share this with anyone who might find value in the content. This is the best way that you can help support me and my channel. Until next time, cheers.