Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Human immunodeficiency virus Type I (HIV-1) infects and remains in the brains of all patients infected with the virus. Importantly, this so-called viral reservoir is not cleared by current HIV drug treatments, known as combined antiretroviral therapy (cART). New strategically designed drug regimens, combining new and existing drugs, are necessary to eradicate HIV from the brain and improve survival for patients living with HIV/AIDS. In this project, we will evaluate the efficacy of new and existing antiretroviral drugs in different types of human brain cells. Using this information, we will develop and test combination drug therapies to eradicate HIV-1 from human brain cells and from the brain in animal models, while optimizing treatment to minimize drug-related damage to the brain. Our goal is that these studies will lead to effective clinical strategies to eradicate the HIV-1 reservoir in the brain.