Early HIV Testing Shows Promising Results

Drs. Sheldon Morris and Davey Smith, TMARC investigators, published a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine that shows promising results for a relatively new HIV testing method which can identify HIV infection in as little as 10 days following exposure. The study, which enrolled over 3,000 subjects at the University of California, San Diego’s Antiviral Research Center and other participating sites in San Diego County, found that 15 persons who tested negative with the traditional antibody test were found to be HIV positive via the nucleic acid testing (NAT) method, a striking 23% increase in the detection yield. The study further exemplifies that early testing can produce a higher rate of identification of infected individuals, and gives strength to the claim that NAT testing should be used more widely. While NAT testing is widely available and is used to screen the nation’s blood supply, it is not routinely used in clinical care due to its higher cost (approximately $100) and longer delay for test results (up to two weeks).

Full articles about this study can be found at the following news sources:

San Diego Union Tribune
Annals of Internal Medicine
U.S. News & World Report

HNRP Intern Receives Dean's Award!

Alex Liu, an undergraduate at San Diego State University who is completing an internship at the HNRP under the SDSU Career Opportunities in Research (COR) program, received the Dean's Award from the SDSU College of Sciences at SDSU's 4th Annual Student Research Symposium. The award is given to the top two oral presentations in each College, regardless of undergraduate or graduate status.  Alex's presentation was "Neuropsychological Functioning Predicts Occupational Attainment in an Indian Cohort," with data provided from the NeuroAIDS in India (T. Marcotte, PI) project.  Alex has been invited to compete in the California State University-Wide Student Research Competition, to take place in Fresno in May.

HNRP Experts Invited to Participate in the HIV/AIDS Network Coordination (HANC) Behavioral Sciences Working Group

HNRP Investigators were invited to a neurocognitive assessments focus group as part of an expert panel on how neurocognitive assessments are performed, analyzed and how neurocognitive research is conducted within the NIAID HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials Networks, and other networks such as the Adolescent Trials Network.  These types of working groups develop specific recommendations for community involvement in Division of AIDS-funded HIV Clinical Research Trials, based upon Best Practices document and community consultations. Drs. Ronald Ellis and Robert Heaton will participate in drafting a consensus statement for publication to guide research in this area at the focus group convening in Seattle, Washington in April 2011.

HNRP Investigators Bring Home the Bacon to UCSD!

HNRP Researchers did their part to contribute to the outstanding UCSD rankings in NIH funding allocations as determined by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. UCSD Neurosciences Department was the number one neurosciences department in the country in award amounts – pulling in $35, 875, 548 in 2010!  Drs. Ron Ellis and Eliezer Masliah were top ranked primary investigators on grants in this department – having awards above the median/mean dollar amounts for this department.    UCSD Psychiatry Department ranked number four of psychiatry departments in the nation – with Dr. Igor Grant ranked as the second highest funded investigator of this department at $8, 208, 403 - and Drs. Athina Markou, Christine Fennema-Notestine, Terry Jernigan, and Mariana Cherner all listed as contributing substantial award amounts.  The UCSD Department of Internal Medicine was ranked number eight in the nation with Drs. Scott Letendre and Davey Smith as key contributors to funding.

Update on Recipient of the Interdisciplinary Research Fellowship in NeuroAIDs

The HNRC Interdisciplinary Research Fellowship in NeuroAIDS (IRFN) provides training and mentoring to clinician-scientists interested in careers in neuroAIDs research. Training experiences emphasize the interdisciplinary and translational nature of clinical problems in neuroAIDS in order to prepare future scientists to tackle emerging questions in the field. The IRFN pairs trainees with mentors from clinical and basic science backgrounds according to their research interests.

IRFN Fellows are exposed to cutting-edge scientific environments and have contact with some of the most respected neuroAIDS researchers in the world. IRFN Fellows have access to resources at UCSD’s HIV Neurobehavioral Research Center (HNRC) and the Del E. Webb Center for Neurosciences, Aging and Stem Cell Research Center at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research (BIMR).

For information on the application process click here

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