News

You’re completing a PhD with the Lewin Laboratory at the Doherty Institute. What motivated you to undertake graduate research?

I’ve been interested in pursuing a career as a clinician scientist from very early in my medical training. I completed an Honours year during my medical degree with the Lewin Lab and was introduced to HIV cure research and the research community more broadly. I was interested in pursuing a PhD to further my research training, having seen the value of research and its potential for wide-reaching impact that can directly influence clinical practice.

Why is HIV cure research important to you as an infectious diseases physician?

Although there have been significant advances in antiretroviral therapy that can control HIV infection, treatment must be taken lifelong. We heard from community members last week during the World AIDS Day symposium about the ongoing challenges of living with HIV, including the effects of stigma that is still experienced in the community and in healthcare settings.

As an infectious diseases physician, I have also seen the impact research has had on individuals. Lifelong therapy also poses challenges to healthcare systems globally, particularly in low and middle-income countries. An HIV cure forms an essential part to ending the HIV pandemic.

You spoke at the World AIDS Day symposium – tell us about your presentation?

I presented some of the work our team at the Lewin Lab has done as part of my PhD. My work uses mRNA and lipid nanoparticle technology to target latent HIV infection, which is the major barrier to an HIV cure. Many will be familiar with mRNA and lipid nanoparticles through their use in both Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. We are using similar technology to develop a therapy that specifically targets latent HIV – aiming to flush out latent viruses with the aim to eradicate latently infected cells.

Our preliminary work in the lab shows that this approach can potently target HIV with high specificity. More work is being done to assess the effectiveness and safety of this approach in other laboratory-based models.

What were your highlights from the World AIDS Day symposium?

Hearing from our community members was a definite highlight. As a clinician, it was very useful to hear about experiences from people living with HIV, in particular, hearing about improvements that can be made in the healthcare setting with regards to de-stigmatisation, inclusion and respect.

The presentation by our visiting speaker, Associate Professor Jonathan Li, was also a highlight. We heard about new advances in understanding a subset of people with HIV, which can control infection for prolonged periods after stopping antiretroviral therapy. Understanding the mechanisms behind this can provide new insights into potential HIV cure strategies.

Why do you think it is important to collaborate with community members for events like the World AIDS Day symposium?

Ultimately, the work we do in science and research is for the community and we should use these opportunities to share our work with community members. We also learn so much from our community members, in particular, ways that we can improve as healthcare workers and researchers. We heard about how much time and effort is required from participants to be involved in clinical trials. We need to acknowledge this generosity and sharing our research with the community is one small way we can do this.

Collaboration with community members is essential to ensure that our research meets community needs and is relevant and acceptable. This is particularly so for the planning stages of early clinical trials, where community input should be sought routinely.