Dr. Amy Gillgrass

In the ‘Shock and Kill: NK cell-based strategies for HIV cure’ study, principal investigator Amy Gillgrass and team are working on a new HIV cure strategy by adapting a model of cancer treatment for HIV. The ‘Shock and Kill’ approach combines special natural killer (NK) cells – which are very powerful immune cells – with drugs that can reanimate dormant HIV. It’s a one-two punch to HIV reservoirs that can help lead us closer to an eventual cure. Since the NK cell technique is already being used for treating cancer, it could be applied to HIV treatment quickly and effectively. This study will further investigate the technique’s efficacy in the context of HIV.

Dr. Bluma Brenner

Principal investigator Bluma Brenner and team hypothesize that studying the genetic relationships of HIV can provide ground-breaking insights into how the virus spreads, offering us a new way to identify transmission networks. By examining patterns in HIV genetic data, we can better understand how the virus moves through populations which can help inform better and more targeted prevention and testing strategies. This approach combines genetic analysis with patient demographics and behaviours to identify factors driving the spread of HIV among MSM and racialized communities in Quebec. This information will help us design targeted interventions for at-risk groups and work toward achieving the 95-95-95 global HIV goals.

Dr. Mario Ostrowski

Cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) are a type of immune cell that our body uses to destroy other cells infected with viruses. CTLs can reach an exhausted state where they are no longer able to function – and principal investigator Mario Ostrowski and team are on the case to discover if this state of exhaustion can be reversed. This project will use new technology called live 3D cell imaging, which can study live CTLs from people living with HIV and identify the behaviours associated with their viral-killing activity. The goal is to better improve the functions of CTLs so they can more effectively target and react to HIV reservoirs.

Dr. Julie Lajoie

Over 50% of Canadians living with HIV are over the age of 50. Principal investigator Julie Lajoie and team’s research project will determine if menopause changes how some cells from the immune system, called T cells, are activated and respond to viral infections. T cells are part of the immune system and help protect the body from infections. They are among the most important cells in our immune system, and any changes in how they respond can have an important impact on how we fight viruses. In women, aging comes with menopause, which brings a lot of changes in a woman’s body. This study aims to understand the impact of menopause on T cells to improve health outcomes for women aging with HIV.

Dr. Andrew Mouland

A lot of what we know about HIV transmission has come from investigating the make-up of the virus itself. But there’s still much to discover about how HIV is able to bypass our immune system to infect our cells and multiply rapidly. Principal investigator Andrew Mouland and team are focusing in on HIV’s capsid, its protective protein shell. Recent advances in high-resolution microscopy have given us a better understanding of how HIV’s capsid moves into a cell’s nucleus during the early stages of infection. Using live-cell imaging, we’ve discovered that the capsid interacts with certain immune system proteins in a way that causes them to form clusters, which can help the virus hide and spread. This research is focused on studying these processes and finding drugs that can disrupt this clustering.

Dr. Shayna Skakoon-Sparling

For this research project, co-leads Shayna Skakoon-Sparling and Garfield Durrant, and their team, will use a participatory approach to recruit 200 Black immigrant gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) to complete an online survey. The survey will explore the use of HIV prevention and treatment services, the importance of social connections, and the experiences of loneliness and substance use. This study aims to use community input to highlight and explore key gaps in sexual health prevention for African, Caribbean and Black immigrants in Canada to inform systemic change and improve sexual health outcomes.

Dr. Bertrand Lebouché

Principal investigator Bertrand Lebouché and team aim to conduct 30 semi-structured interviews with gay, bi and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) living with HIV in Montreal who have experienced sexual dysfunction. Sexual dysfunction can be any problem that prevents a person or couple from experiencing satisfaction from sexual activity. This project will recruit participants through HIV clinics, community groups, magazines, and online platforms. It aims to improve our understanding of sexual dysfunction among gbMSM living with HIV and provide recommendations for healthcare providers and community organizations to deliver better sexual health care for this population.