Funding Renewed for Duke’s Center for AIDS Research

CFAR Poster Presentation

DGHI participants discuss a poster presentation at the recent Duke CFAR Fall Scientific Retreat

Published September 25, 2015 under Research News

The National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases within the National Institutes of Health recently renewed funding for Duke’s Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) with a five-year grant of $1.5 million. CFAR provides critical infrastructure that links all HIV/AIDS-focused investigators at Duke, provides necessary support services and stimulates collaboration across disciplines. Duke’s CFAR is one of 20 in the United States.

“I’m tremendously honored by the comments from the reviewers of our application,” CFAR director Kent Weinhold said. “Our score is indicative of the level of synergy we have achieved among faculty engaged in diverse research projects, all of whom are focused on ending the AIDS epidemic.”

Duke Played Role in Development of AZT 

Duke, along with collaborators at North Carolina-based pharmaceutical companies, has been a leader in HIV/AIDS research since the 1980s. Duke and what is now GlaxoSmithKline played a key role in the development of AZT, one of the first therapies to treat HIV and AIDS. AZT helped to reduce HIV transmission from mother to newborn from 30 to 35 percent to less than five percent.

Many DGHI Faculty Affiliated with CFAR 

Today, numerous DGHI faculty members are members of CFAR, and many hold leadership positions. The research and partnerships have expanded well beyond our own backyard to include colleagues around the globe. DGHI associate director of research John Bartlett serves as CFAR’s co-director and, along with Colleen Cunningham, professor of pediatrics and global health, is co-director of CFAR’s Clinical Core.

CFAR’s Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) Core, led by DGHI’s Kathy Sikkema and Melissa Watt, works to integrate the valuable role of behavioral and mental health in the prevention and treatment of HIV. It is the newest core within CFAR, added in 2007, and Weinhold says it rounds out the set of service offerings.

CFAR Funding Encourages New Research, Interdisciplinary Approaches

CFAR awards two cycles of small grants each year to Duke faculty to stimulate new research directions among junior faculty as well as senior faculty who may be in disciplines outside of HIV research. A previous CFAR-funded project of which Weinhold is quite proud involved a Duke engineering professor who developed a new way to deliver a microbicide used to prevent the transmission of HIV. Grant applications are due in mid-October for the next round of funding.

CFAR funding is also used to recruit new faculty and has been instrumental in helping to bring a diverse set of researchers from many disciplines to Duke, including Eve Puffer, assistant professor of psychology and neuroscience and global health.

CFAR Also Helps HIV/AIDS Researchers Secure External Funding

CFAR resources support investigators in their pursuit of external funding. Kate Whetten, professor of public policy and global health, is one beneficiary.

“The Duke CFAR is an important resource to support my global research on HIV prevention and treatment,” said Whetten. “When I’m developing a new grant idea, my colleagues in CFAR have reviewed my proposal and identified areas for improvement. This support has helped me to achieve a strong record of NIH funding. I now consider the SBS Core peer review to be a necessary step in my grant-writing process.”

Weinhold relishes the broad perspective his role as CFAR director affords him. He knows that success can only come through the contribution of many individuals working together across disciplines, which is exactly what is happening at Duke every day. While finding a cure seems elusive, working toward that goal, he says, “leads you to places where you take risks,” which is what is needed to end this epidemic. 

Duke and what is now GlaxoSmithKline played a key role in the development of AZT, one of the first therapies to treat HIV and AIDS.