How amazing would it be if we cured HIV?

Motivated by the belief that those living with HIV deserve to be cured and can be cured, ACRC is a collaboration of amazing individuals who have dedicated their time in better understanding the virus and the potential avenues we have towards discovering a cure.

Scientific Advisory Board

Marc C.E. Wagner

Founder
I began my research career in 1982 working on breast cancer. Since that time, I have been involved in other aspects of research including, identification and characterization of brain specific proteins, immuno-toxicology, fluorescence technology development, Alzheimer and HIV research.  I have worked for the University of Pittsburgh, University of Pennsylvania, and Carnegie-Mellon University. I have had a rewarding opportunity to spend several weeks working at the Institute of Gustave-Roussy in Villejuif, France learning techniques in long term human bone marrow culturing.  My work has resulted in the publication of numerous scientific articles and one patent application where I am named co-inventor.  Each of my endeavors has given me the foundation which aided me in formulating the hypothesis of utilizing eATP in the treatment of HIV and other diseases.

Velpandi Ayyavoo, PhD

Advisor
Professor, Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh
  HIV-1 infected macrophages survive for a long time in the central nervous system (CNS) and these cells likely mediate neuropathological changes observed in HIV subjects. However, there are no effective therapeutics to target the virus in the CNS compartment is available, thus there is an unmet need to develop agents that could potentially block and/or reverse chronic neuroinflammation and the associated pathologies in CNS of HIV-1 subjects with cART. Loss of higher mental functions lowers the quality of life of those who suffer and imposes a tremendous financial burden on society in the form of health care costs, disability and lost productivity. Using omics approaches, we have identified that a unique subset of HIV-1 subjects (HAND resistant subjects) express specific miRNAs as key regulators of neuroinflammation and disease progression compared to HIV-1 subjects with HAND. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that chronic inflammation associated with persistence of HIV-1 infected macrophages in the CNS is a major contributing factor to HAND development in the presence of cART. Thus, skewing the proinflammatory glial microenvironment to anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective micro-environment will be beneficial to the host. We propose to develop novel immunomodulatory agents to target persistent HIV-1 infection and associated chronic inflammation in the CNS.

Bernard JC  Macatangay, MD

Advisor
Associate Director, University of Pittsburgh Immunology Specialty Lab (ACTG)
The Macatangay laboratory focuses on various immunoregulatory pathways in different inflammatory states, especially in HIV infection. Specifically, the lab aims to define the role of different immunoregulatory mechanisms in: the inflammatory state associated with chronic HIV infection; HIV persistence; and various HIV immunotherapeutic strategies, such as in therapeutic vaccination.

Wolfgang Junger, PhD

Advisor
Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School
Our work has revealed a complex network of metabolic pathways that regulate ATP release and the purinergic signaling mechanisms that control immune cell functions. This network involves mitochondria that produce the ATP that fuels purinergic signaling. Thus, mitochondria are the link between the metabolic and calcium signaling events and the purinergic signaling mechanisms that regulate immune cell functions. We found that mitochondrial function in T cells is reduced in critical care patients and that impaired mitochondrial ATP production is directly correlated with the severity of sepsis. Our studies suggest that pharmacological targeting of purinergic signaling is a promising new approach to restore immune competence in critical care and trauma patients.

Reed Richards

Chiu-Bin Hsiao, MDAAHIVS, FIDSA
Clinical Professor of Medicine, Drexel University School of Medicine; Medical Director, Positive Health Clinic, Pittsburgh,PA, Allegheny Health NetworkInfectious Disease • Pittsburgh, PAHIV/AIDS Medicine
I have been the Medical Director of "Positive Health Clinic (PHC)",Allegheny Health Network at Pittsburgh, PA since July 1, 2013. I also do in-patient infectious disease consult at Allegheny General Hospital. This clinic is a harm reduction focus "HIV Certified Patient Center Medical Home". we manage HIV, HIV/HCV co-infections. mental health and Suboxone treatment to patients with opiate dependency. With our team effort, we have built a clinical research program here to join multicenter clinical trials and independent translational research. Further more, I am interesting in building an epidemiologic/clinical database for HIV and its related cohorts. I hope that the database will become the foundation of future multidisciplinary collaborations.

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