Courtesy of The Campbell Foundation
The Campbell Foundation Awards University of Florida Researcher $75,000 Grant to Advance Long-Acting HIV Gene Therapy
Mauricio Martins, Ph.D., of the University of Florida has received a $75,000 Campbell Foundation grant to study why some individuals respond differently to a long‑acting HIV gene therapy. The project will examine early immune reactions that may weaken the effectiveness of AAV‑delivered broadly neutralizing antibodies. As the release explains, “The funding will support research into why some patients respond differently to a promising gene therapy designed to provide long-term protection against HIV.” His team is developing a single‑dose approach that uses a harmless virus to teach muscle cells to produce HIV‑fighting antibodies, potentially reducing reliance on lifelong antiretroviral therapy for the 40.8 million people living with HIV worldwide. While newborn rhesus macaques show strong, lasting protection, older animals sometimes develop anti‑drug antibodies that undermine the treatment.
The Campbell Foundation funded the project because it tackles a major barrier to durable HIV therapies. Insights from this work could strengthen long‑acting bNAb treatments and improve gene therapy safety across many diseases.