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Education:
BA 1979 Political Science - McGill University, Montreal
BSc 1981 Physiology - McGill University, Montreal
MDCM 1985 Medicine - McGill University, Montreal
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship:
1989 - 1992 Harbor
Started at USC: 2003 Research Topics: Immunology, Virology
Research Description Our laboratory has a broad-based program to investigate the transmission of HIV from mother to child and the pathogenesis of HIV in children. Last year according to the World Health Organization, 2,000 children a day became infected with HIV. Most of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa where most children are becoming infected through breast milk. Alternatives to breast-feeding in these countries are unaffordable, unsafe, and culturally unacceptable. We are involved in a large clinical trial in Africa and are using specimens collected from this well-characterized cohort to elucidate virologic and immunologic factors modulating transmission risk. Chronic HIV infection is associated with a complex, heterogeneous population of HIV variants. In contrast, a newly infected individual is usually infected with a single or a few variants. Although this transmission “bottleneck” was recognized over a decade ago, the biologic basis for this phenomenon has yet to be elucidated. Is this selection the result of an inefficient stochastic transmission event, or are these viruses selected for because of their replicative advantage in the transmitting compartment (genital secretions, breast milk, blood) and/or within the new host? We are characterizing the genotypic and functional characteristics of HIV strains transmitted via various routes. Since these early variants are the targets of preventative efforts, understanding their distinguishing features is central to vaccine development. We are also performing comprehensive virologic studies the effects of inflammation HIV evolution and transmissibility. We have already established that breast milk is a distinct immunologic compartment. We are currently using state-of-the-art techniques to compare the cellular and humoral responses in blood and mucosal compartments and to determine their influence on transmission. These studies will help elucidate key to designing sustainable interventions to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
10 Selected Publications:
Click here to view all the publications for this faculty
Chi BH,Ellis GM,Chintu N,Cantrell RA,Sinkala M,Aldrovandi GM,Warrier R,Mbewe F,Nakamura K,Stringer EM,Frenkel LM,Stringer JS - Intrapartum Tenofovir and Emtricitabine Reduces Low-Concentration Drug Resistance Selected by Single-Dose Nevirapine for Perinatal HIV Prevention. - AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses [2009] Nov 3;(): PubMed
Walter J,Ghosh MK,Kuhn L,Semrau K,Sinkala M,Kankasa C,Thea DM,Aldrovandi GM - High Concentrations of Interleukin 15 in Breast Milk Are Associated with Protection against Postnatal HIV Transmission. - J Infect Dis [2009] Oct 16;(): PubMed
Kuhn L,Aldrovandi GM - Clean water helps but is not enough: challenges for safe replacement feeding of infants exposed to HIV. - J Infect Dis [2009] Oct 15;200(8):1183-5 PubMed
Abzug MJ,Warshaw M,Rosenblatt HM,Levin MJ,Nachman SA,Pelton SI,Borkowsky W,Fenton T,International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Group P1024 and P1061s Protocol Teams - Immunogenicity and immunologic memory after hepatitis B virus booster vaccination in HIV-infected children receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy. - J Infect Dis [2009] Sep 15;200(6):935-46 PubMed
Walter J,Kuhn L,Semrau K,Decker DW,Sinkala M,Kankasa C,Thea DM,Bulterys M,Ou CY,Aldrovandi GM - Detection of low levels of HIV may be critical for the early diagnosis of pediatric HIV infection from dried blood spots. - J Clin Microbiol [2009] Jul 22;(): PubMed
Kuhn L,Aldrovandi GM,Sinkala M,Kankasa C,Semrau K,Kasonde P,Mwiya M,Tsai WY,Thea DM,Zambia Exclusive Breastfeeding Study (ZEBS) - Differential effects of early weaning for HIV-free survival of children born to HIV-infected mothers by severity of maternal disease. - PLoS One [2009] Jun 26;4(6):e6059 PubMed
Arpadi S,Fawzy A,Aldrovandi GM,Kankasa C,Sinkala M,Mwiya M,Thea DM,Kuhn L - Growth faltering due to breastfeeding cessation in uninfected children born to HIV-infected mothers in Zambia. - Am J Clin Nutr [2009] Aug;90(2):344-53 PubMed
Kuhn L,Semrau K,Ramachandran S,Sinkala M,Scott N,Kasonde P,Mwiya M,Kankasa C,Decker D,Thea DM,Aldrovandi GM - Mortality and Virologic Outcomes After Access to Antiretroviral Therapy Among a Cohort of HIV-Infected Women Who Received Single-Dose Nevirapine in Lusaka, Zambia. - J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr [2009] Jun 5;(): PubMed
Walter J,Kuhn L,Aldrovandi GM - Advances in basic science understanding of mother-to-child HIV-1 transmission. - Curr Opin HIV AIDS [2008] Mar;3(2):146-50 PubMed
Aldrovandi GM,Lindsey JC,Jacobson DL,Zadzilka A,Sheeran E,Moye J,Borum P,Meyer WA 3rd,Hardin DS,Mulligan K,Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group P1045 team - Morphologic and metabolic abnormalities in vertically HIV-infected children and youth. - AIDS [2009] Mar 27;23(6):661-72 PubMed
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