Dr. David Ho and Earvin "Magic" Johnson reflect on twenty years of living with HIV.
 | Dr. Ho and Earvin "Magic" Johnson
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November
7, 2011 marked the 20th anniversary of Magic Johnson's announcement
that he had been infected with HIV. Johnson's courageous announcement,
at a time when there was no effective treatment for HIV/AIDS, created a
lot of awareness about the epidemic and how the virus is transmitted.
Dr. David Ho,
who has been a part of his treatment team since the beginning, had the
pleasure to speak at a press conference organized by the Magic Johnson
Foundation to commemorate the anniversary.
'It
is sufficient to say that Magic's virus is under control, but no one
is cured of HIV infection,' explained Dr. Ho. 'The virus is still
present, which is why Earvin continues to take this medication. Our
Hall of Famer is now the symbol of treatment success ... what he gets
is typical of what most American patients receive.' You can watch Dr. Ho's talk at the Magic Johnson Foundation event here.
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Meet our Scientists | | Jordana Reis, PhD |
Jordana Reis, PhD, a post-doctoral fellow in Dr. Moriya Tsuji's
laboratory, was introduced to research science as a teenager in her
native country, Brazil. She was recruited to participate in a Scientific
Vocational Program created by the prestigious Fundação Osvaldo Cruz,
which brought high school students into a research laboratory for a
three-year after-school internship. Dr. Reis's group focused on the role of the immune system in tropical parasitic and retroviral infections. After this unique experience, at only 17 years old, she wanted to pursue a scientific carrier as an immunologist. She
graduated with a BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Biochemistry,
followed with an MS and PhD in Microbiology and Immunology at the
Federal University of Minas Gerais. Her work at ADARC focuses in
defining the immunological response of specific subsets of immune cells,
mainly T cells, against malaria and HIV infection, and their
application for vaccine development.
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Grants | | Sebla Kutluay, PhD |
Sebla Kutluay, PhD, a post-doctoral fellow in Dr. Paul Bieniasz's laboratory, has been awarded a Mathilde Krim Fellowship in Basic Biomedical Research from amfAR to identify novel RNA-protein interactions in HIV particle genesis. HIV-1
is a retrovirus which incorporates its genetic material (RNA) into host
cells. The interaction of RNA with different proteins is an important
factor in the replication cycle of the virus, as well as in host
defenses against infection. Dr. Kutluay will study the specific
role of the RNA-binding proteins Gag, APOBEC3G and 3F by utilizing
next-generation sequencing . Gag mediates all major steps in HIV-1
assembly, and APOBEC3 proteins are host cell restriction factors. Her
project will give unprecedented insights into how viral and cellular
RNAs and proteins interact.
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As 2011 quickly comes to a close, we invite you to make a secure, tax-deductible contribution to support our work.
Your gift
allows scientists to explore new ideas as soon as they emerge so they
can obtain the preliminary results that can leverage large institutional
grants.
Individual
support also enables us to change course quickly if a detour can lead
to a more promising research direction. Every day makes a
difference. Join us so we can see a day without HIV/AIDS.
 ADARC has recently received its seventh consecutive four-star rating from Charity Navigator.
Your year-end gift directly benefits the work taking place in our laboratories.
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Join Us
Private support is
vital to ADARC's mission - it allows rapid exploration of new
ideas before they can attract government funding. We count on your
support to sustain an agile and creative research environment.
Please join us in the fight by sending your check to:
ADARC 455 First Avenue New York, NY 10016 (212) 448-5089
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