Researchers, health care practitioners, and community members gathered in downtown Nanaimo on February 7th for an open dialogue event on the latest advances in HIV cure research.
“Why we need an HIV cure and how we are trying to get there? Challenges, opportunities and ways forward for Persons Living with HIV” was organized by Chad Dickie, the chair of the board of directors of AVI Health and Community Services (formerly AIDS Vancouver Island). Dickie planned the event as an opportunity for those living with HIV on Vancouver Island to find out more about cure research taking place on their doorsteps in BC.
Speaking about the event Dickie said, “This dialogue brought together cure research scientists, community-based researchers, and is a wonderful chance for greater, more meaningful involvement of people living with HIV in research which is taking place right here in our province. It’s also an opportunity to develop future community engagements that include HIV lived experience, primary care, and research (cure and community-based).”
Dr. Zabrina Brumme, Laboratory Director at the BC-CfE, spoke at the event and gave an overview of the strategies currently being pursued towards the ultimate goal of curing HIV. She explained the importance of the made-in-BC Treatment as Prevention¨ strategy, a proven and effective clinical approach pioneered by Dr. Julio Montaner, the BC-CfE’s Executive Director and Physician-in-Chief. This strategy advocates for early access to HIV testing and immediate, sustained access to treatment. This approach has been shown to improve both quality of life and longevity, while curbing transmission. New HIV rates are at a historic low across the province of BC as a result of the widespread application of this treatment approach.
Dr. Brumme said, “Events such as these are really important to move HIV cure research forward. Researchers need to work hand-in-hand with health care practitioners and community members to ensure that when an HIV cure is eventually found, it will be accessible and available to all who want it.”
Brad Jones, a doctoral student at the University of British Columbia and Research Assistant at the BC-CfE also spoke to participants about his research. Jones models the evolution of HIV within an individual using computational tools. He investigates when, where and how long it takes HIV to integrate into a person’s genome and also how the virus migrates throughout an individual’s body.
During the question period following the presentations by Jones and Dr. Brumme, the audience learned about HIV’s evolutionary history. Researchers spoke about HIV’s origins in central Africa and when and how the first laboratory samples of HIV were obtained.
Community-based researchers also spoke at the event explaining how individuals living with HIV can get involved in research and advocacy.
Darren Lauscher is a member of the community advisory board of the Canadian HIV Trials Network. He was first diagnosed with HIV in 1985 at a time when antiretroviral therapy development and cure research were both in their infancy, with people dying of AIDS every day in BC. He spoke about the monumental changes he has witnessed in HIV clinical care since then and pointed attendees to resources they can use to find out more about upcoming clinical trials and studies in HIV research.
The BC-CfE is committed to engaging with communities in BC and nationally through its collaborative research and partnership with community organizations. For more information about the work of AVI on Vancouver Island, visit https://avi.org.