Cure Research and Analytic Treatment Interruption

June 28, 2018

In this episode of Px Pulse, researchers and advocates debate the rationale, risks and ethics of interrupting treatment as part of cure research. This is known as analytic treatment interruption or ATI.

AVAC spoke with advocate Udom Likhitwonnawut about when and why treatment interruption might make sense. Two cure researchers—Dr. Steven Deeks and Dr. Dave Margolis—share their differing views on treatment interruption; Deeks is professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, while Margolis leads the Collaboratory of AIDS Researchers for Eradication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Finally, HIV advocates Flahvia Namwaya and Moses Supercharger Nsubuga talk about what a cure would mean for those living with HIV.

Listen to this episode to hear the hopes, scientific mysteries and doubts surrounding HIV cure research and ATI.

Listen to the full podcast (25:45).

Highlights

• Intro (1:49)
• Dr. Steven Deeks explains why and when cure researchers include ATI (10:24)
• Dr. Dave Margolis on his doubts about ATI and his goals for cure research (9:00)
• Advocate Udom Likhitwonnawut on the case by case criteria for ATI (2:22)
• Flahvia Namway and Moses Supercharger on what cure means for people living with HIV (4:10)

Additional Resources

• Towards an HIV Cure: The International AIDS Society’s initiative to accelerate research and engagement towards a cure for HIV.
• CUREiculum: A suite of tools to learn about HIV cure research
• Strategies for a Cure: An article by Positively Aware explaining ongoing cure research.
• The Basics: AVAC's fact sheet providing basic information on HIV cure research

More Px Pulse

For more episodes of Px Pulse, click here.