Trump Administration to Launch Autism Initiatives Targeting Acetaminophen Use and New Treatment Options 
Tabletop particle accelerator could transform medicine and materials science 
NASA Astronauts Wilmore and Williams Recover After Boeing Starliner Delay 
Neuralink Expands Brain Implant Trials with 12 Global Patients 
NASA Resumes Cygnus XL Cargo Docking with Space Station After Software Fix 
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Reaches New Heights but Ends in Setback 
Lab-grown meat: you may find it icky, but it could drive forward medical research 
SpaceX’s Starship Completes 11th Test Flight, Paving Way for Moon and Mars Missions 
Astronomers have discovered another puzzling interstellar object − this third one is big, bright and fast 
FDA Pilot Program Eases Rules for Nicotine Pouch Makers 
Neuren Pharmaceuticals Surges on U.S. Patent Win for Rare Disorder Drug 
Trump Signs Executive Order to Boost AI Research in Childhood Cancer 
Is space worth the cost? Accounting experts say its value can’t be found in spreadsheets 
CDC Vaccine Review Sparks Controversy Over Thimerosal Study Citation 
Scientists around the world are exploring various angles to further understand HIV/AIDS and find a cure. Several research grants were previously awarded to groups who are aiming to focus on post-treatment control.
The Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) recently announced in a press release that five grants were confirmed by the institution to support the study of “the mechanisms and predictors of post-treatment control.” According to AIDSMap.com, post-treatment controllers are HIV/AIDS patients who eventually stopped receiving treatments.
These patients have also received treatments via antiretroviral therapy upon getting diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. After achieving an immense decrease to an undetectable status of viral load, post-treatment controllers decide to stop receiving treatment altogether with their immune system positively adjusting to it.
In a statement, amfAR CEO Kevin Robert Frost said, “Post-treatment controllers may hold the key to understanding how the immune system naturally controls the virus, so it’s essential that we achieve a fuller understanding of what mediates post-treatment control. It’s also vital that we improve our knowledge of the crucial differences in the viral reservoir that may exist in those hit hardest by the epidemic.”
A couple of grantees focusing on post-treatment controllers are Dr. Jonathan Li and Dr. Godwin Nchinda from Boston and Cameroon, respectively. Dr. Li will reportedly begin his research with “an impressive cohort of post-treatment controllers from one of the largest HIV clinical trial networks in the world.” On the other hand, Dr. Nchinda gathered women who were pregnant while undergoing ART and are successful post-treatment controllers after giving birth.
Despite the availability of various treatments, unfortunately, the world has yet to find a complete cure for HIV/AIDS, thus, it continues to be one of the largest epidemics around the world. In the last quarter of 2018, it was reported that 37 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with HIV and 2.6 million of them are ages 15 years and below.
