HIV – UF Innovate

Common Water Pill May Help HIV Medicines Work Faster and Reduce Inflammation, Early Study Suggests (The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute)

sooyoungryu — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 16:33:32 +0000

An FDA‑approved medication called spironolactone, often prescribed for heart and blood pressure conditions, may be a useful add‑on to the standard HIV treatment, according to new research from the Valente lab at The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology.

Viruses spread by hijacking cells and using their gene transcription machinery to make new copies. Today’s HIV medicines keep the virus under control but are not a cure. If treatment stops, HIV can return from hidden reservoirs, so more durable, long-lasting approaches are needed. In the new study, researchers treated HIV-infected mice with human immune cells with first‑line antiretroviral therapy plus a long‑acting form of spironolactone. Spironolactone is a widely used diuretic, or water pill.

Study: Gene Therapy May Block HIV Transmission During Breastfeeding

sooyoungryu — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Delivering broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV-1 to newborns via gene therapy provided them with multi-year protection from HIV/AIDS infection, according to an animal study led by scientists at The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology.

With further research, the strategy could offer a relatively simple way to prevent transmission of HIV-1 during breastfeeding in parts of the world with limited medical resources, said lead author Mauricio Martins, Ph.D., associate professor in the department of immunology and microbiology at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute.

With an NIH Pioneer Award, UF Researcher Targets Common Infection

sooyoungryu — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Armed with a $2.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, University of Florida biomedical professor Ivana Parker, Ph.D., is targeting one of the most common – and dangerous – infections in women.

The prestigious NIH Director’s Pioneer Award for High Risk, High Reward provides a five-year grant that will allow Parker to study Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) and, ultimately, offer more effective personalized treatments.

“This award recognizes Ivana’s innovative approach in delineating the unique relationship between HIV and resident immune cells by combining AI and benchtop research using diverse clinical samples,” said Cherie Stabler, chair of UF’s J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Wertheim UF Scripps Institute Scientists Find Potential Cellular Target for HIV Therapies

Sara Dagen — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Researchers at The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology have discovered a protein that appears to play a key role in helping HIV replicate in human immune cells, providing more clues about how cellular machinery allows the virus to create new copies of itself.

The insight is more than scientific curiosity — the protein, called p32, might one day provide a potential target for drugs that keep HIV dormant and harmless.

That could eventually lead to what would essentially be a cure for HIV and thus AIDS.

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HIV Drug Shows Potential To Combat Genetic Form of Dystonia in Preclinical Study

Sara Dagen — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

A new study found that an FDA-approved medication to treat HIV restored multiple brain abnormalities in a mouse model of a genetic form of dystonia.

Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder that causes muscles to contract involuntarily, leading to repetitive or twisting movements that limit independence and might also cause pain. The preclinical findings were featured on the cover of the Aug. 18, 2021 edition of the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Using drug screening, drug testing and imaging methods, researchers reported that ritonavir corrected abnormal protein features in the brain and had therapeutic effects in a mouse model of DYT1, restoring multiple brain abnormalities. DYT1 dystonia is an early-onset genetic form of the disorder. The mice received higher concentrations of the medication than humans are given for HIV treatment, so human clinical trials are needed to test dosage levels and safety, the researchers said, and to determine whether the same results are found in people.

“We hope that this study will provide a promising therapeutic target in DYT1 dystonia, which is desperately needed for patients suffering from this disorder and their families,” said co-author David Vaillancourt, Ph.D., chair of the department of applied physiology and kinesiology in the University of Florida College of Health & Human Performance and director of the neuroimaging laboratory at the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at UF Health.

Learn more about HIV Drug Shows Potential To Combat Genetic Form of Dystonia in Preclinical Study.

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etectRx Announces Launch of MyTPill Study To Address Medication Adherence Among HIV+ Prescription Opioid Users

Sara Dagen — Wed, 05 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

UF Innovate | The Hub resident company etectRx, Inc., a privately-held digital health company, announced the launch of a study to monitor antiretroviral therapy adherence among prescription opioid users living with HIV. The study, dubbed “MyTPill,” will assess patient adherence using two electronic adherence tracking technologies: the ID-Cap System from etectRx and an electronic pillbox. The study will provide insight into how digital pill systems can help patients who have significant health risks due to nonadherence.

The MyTPill Study, which marks etectRx’s third NIH-sponsored study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital within the last two years, kicked off in March and will include 80 patients over the next four years. Patients will track their use of HIV medication by using the ID-Cap System for three months and an electronic pillbox for three months, with a short break in between. The research sites include leaders in HIV care at Fenway Health in Boston and at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial HIV Clinic in Miami.

Learn more about etectRx Announces Launch of MyTPill Study To Address Medication Adherence Among HIV+ Prescription Opioid Users.

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