Latest news with #HIVResearch
New York Times
11 hours ago
- Health
- New York Times
South Africa Built a Medical Research Powerhouse. Trump Cuts Have Demolished It.
In Cape Town, South Africa, one of the world's foremost H.I.V. researchers has been spending a chunk of each day gently telling longtime workers and young doctoral students that the money is gone and so are their jobs. When the calls are done, she weeps in her empty office. In the heart of Johannesburg, the lobby of a building that once housed hundreds of scientists is empty of people but choked with discarded office furniture and heaps of files hastily gathered from shuttered research sites. South Africa has for decades been a medical research powerhouse, yet its stature has been little known to people outside the field. South Africa's scientists have been responsible for key breakthroughs against major global killers, including heart disease, H.I.V. and respiratory viruses such as Covid-19. They have worked closely with American researchers and have been awarded more research funding from the United States than any other country has received. But a swift series of executive orders and budget cuts from the Trump administration have, in a matter of months, demolished this research ecosystem. There are grim ramifications for human health worldwide, and also for pharmaceutical companies, including American giants such as Pfizer, Merck, Abbott and Gilead Sciences, which rely heavily on South Africa's research complex when they develop and test new drugs, vaccines and treatments. 'South Africa is the beacon,' said Dr. Harold Varmus, a professor of medicine at Cornell University who was awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine for his work on cancer biology and who was a director of the National Institutes of Health. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Health
- Bloomberg
Fulbright's Future in Doubt as Trump Targets Elite Scholarship
The program's academic freedom has been called into question after the Trump administration rejected awards. By and Greg Ryan Save Ryan Sutherland thought he had all the credentials needed to win a prestigious Fulbright fellowship. A medical student at Yale University, his proposal to study HIV transmission among transgender sex workers in Malaysia had been cleared by a US Fulbright review committee. He had worked for years with the Malaysian research center where the project was to be housed.
Zawya
4 days ago
- Health
- Zawya
Breaking the HIV bottleneck: Why sub-Saharan Africa must lead the way?
The global fight against HIV-1 has often been framed as a success story of science, funding and international collaboration. But as the virus evolves, so too must our strategy. A recent commentary in nature reviews microbiology, led by Dr Monray Williams of the North-West University (NWU) in South Africa, issues a stark warning: global complacency must end, and sub-Saharan Africa must be placed at the centre of the research agenda, or risk losing control of the HIV-1 epidemic. Dr Monray Williams Despite accounting for more than two-thirds of global HIV-1 infections, sub-Saharan Africa remains a research blind spot. Most studies continue to focus on subtype B, common in the West, but representing only 12% of global cases. Subtype C, which is responsible for over half of global infections and dominant in sub-Saharan Africa is significantly understudied. This imbalance, argues Dr Williams and his co-authors, undermines the development of effective treatments, vaccines, and, ultimately, a cure. The message is sobering. HIV-1's remarkable diversity, driven by its error-prone replication and frequent recombination, makes understanding its many forms crucial. Subtype-specific variations influence everything from disease progression and drug resistance to vaccine effectiveness. Yet, 54% of global sequence data derives from subtype B, compared with a mere 15% from subtype C. Even key viral proteins, such as gp120 and Nef, are far better characterised in subtype B. Dr Williams, a researcher in the biomedical and molecular metabolism research unit at NWU, puts it plainly: 'We cannot end a global pandemic by studying just a fraction of its biology.' The data he and his colleagues present are stark. The Congo Basin, thought to be the origin of the HIV-1 pandemic, holds the highest viral diversity, yet remains largely unexplored. These unstudied lineages may contain forms resistant to current interventions or capable of fuelling future outbreaks. South Africa, among the countries hardest hit by HIV, ranks third globally in research output. Yet even here, subtype B dominates scientific focus. Subtypes A, D, and numerous recombinant forms, each with distinct clinical and epidemiological profiles, are dangerously under-analysed. The commentary warns that this neglect could prove disastrous if new variants arise with increased transmissibility or drug resistance. However, the authors do not stop at diagnosis. They propose a bold corrective strategy aptly named Harness to address these disparities and reshape the global health research landscape. At its core is the principle of self-reliance. African countries must strengthen their own research capabilities by investing in local laboratories, biobanks, genomic surveillance systems, and, critically, the training of future scientists. Alarmingly, Africa currently contributes just 2% of global biobank authorship, a shortfall that threatens sustained progress. The paper also advocates for deeper South–South collaboration. By exchanging data, tools, and expertise within Africa and across the global South, the continent can pioneer a fairer, more representative research model. Funding, too, should reflect disease burden – not the preferences of external donors. Too often, foreign aid distorts priorities in favour of Northern concerns, leaving African researchers underfunded and marginalised. Structural reform is essential to challenge the dominance of Northern institutions in setting the global health agenda. African-led research must be ethical, accountable, and community-driven – sensitive to the cultural and socio-economic realities that shape public health. As Dr Williams and his colleagues argue, reducing stigma, ensuring equitable access, and listening to affected communities are as vital as gene sequencing. Recent cuts to global health initiatives such as PEPFAR have heightened the need for regional autonomy. Yet Dr Williams sees opportunity amid retreat. 'This is the moment for Africa to reclaim agency over its health future,' he writes. This is not merely a scholarly contribution, it is a rallying cry. The end of the HIV-1 pandemic will not be dictated from Brussels or Boston alone. It will emerge from the laboratories, clinics, and communities of Africa if the world is wise enough to invest accordingly. The science is conclusive. The politics, as ever, remains the harder struggle.
