New Frontiers in Eradicating HIV/AIDS Right Here in San Antonio

by Margit Gerardi, Ph.D | Published Online on January 01, 2011

Photo by emagineart

In last month’s column, we discussed global progress since the 1980’s in our understanding of HIV/AIDS. AIDS is a viral disease (caused by HIV) that disrupts the immune system’s ability to fight opportunistic infections leading to life-threatening diseases and cancers. Infection with HIV can come from sexual activities in which semen, pre-ejaculate, blood, or vaginal fluids are passed from one person to another. As we look to the future of HIV/AIDS eradication, three major areas of research and clinical application look promising.

1. Understanding our genetic and epigenetic vulnerability to viral infections is key. Transformative research in San Antonio at the University of Texas Health Science Center is underway, unlocking new information about genetic protection against HIV acquisition. Research on susceptibility and resistance to disease and pathogens will help us to better fight this pandemic.

2. Since 2004, Truvada (Emtricitabine/ Tenofovir) has been used to suppress HIV in infected people. In a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the risk of getting HIV by gay men was dramatically reduced by 44 to 73% with daily use of Truvada and condoms. This is a highly promising area for continued research as well as hope for reducing new infections!

3. Prospects for successful development of an effective HIV vaccine are hopeful too. Since 1987, there has been a global effort to produce an HIV vaccine with over $650 million dollars being spent per year on research and testing. This has resulted in 30 potential vaccines that have been tested in over 70 clinical trials. Although far from perfect~ animal and human trials have one vaccine as being 31% effective in preventing HIV infection. HIV vaccine development requires continued innovative ideas and the sustained long-term commitment of everyone.

As we look to the future, we have a way to go but have so many promising developments to give us hope. Our local community is working on forming a LGBTQI community center, and vital research continues here in San Antonio at our universities. In this next decade, my hope is a future of saved lives and prevented disease from HIV/AIDS.

For more information about HIV research or further general information, please feel free to call 210-861-9528 or e-mail me at mailto:gerardi@uthscsa.edu.

Dr. Margit Gerardi is Assistant Professor and researcher at UTHSCSA and has over twenty years of clinical experience providing direct reproductive health care as a nurse practitioner in a variety of settings. Her area of expertise is in sexually transmitted infection, health disparities, and reproductive health/medicine.

This article appeared in the January 2011 of ignite Magazine.