News
ADVANCING ETHICAL DIALOGUE IN HIV CURE RESEARCH
Victoria Kasprowicz, SANTHE Director of Strategic Partnerships, Johannesburg, South Africa; Rujeko Samanthia Chidawanyika, Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) Social Scientist, Durban, South Africa ; and Blessings Kapumba Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Research Programme (MLW) Post-doctoral Research Associate and Social Scientist, Blantyre, Malawi (above right), have been awarded a one-year £15,000 bursary from the Global Health Bioethics Network (GHBN). Starting 1 April, their project – Developing optimal engagement practices and creating a toolkit for ethical responsive dialogues on ATI trials – addresses a critical and timely ethical need as analytical treatment interruption (ATI) trials expand across Africa.
While antiretroviral therapy (ART) has transformed HIV into a manageable condition, it does not eliminate the reservoir of latently infected cells, meaning lifelong treatment remains necessary. HIV cure research, including ATI studies, seeks to better understand how the virus behaves when treatment is paused, with the goal of identifying biomarkers of viral rebound and mechanisms that enable sustained viral control without ART. As part of this work, the team is already engaging community stakeholders through responsive dialogues (RDs) at five sites across Cameroon, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Botswana. Although RDs are an established method for community engagement, their application in HIV cure research is relatively new – particularly in the complex and evolving context of ATI studies.
The GHBN-funded project will evaluate how effectively these dialogues support community understanding, equitable participation, and ethically sound decision-making. Drawing on insights from multiple African research settings, the team will assess how RDs function in practice and identify ways to strengthen their implementation. Ultimately, the project aims to develop a context-sensitive toolkit that translates these learnings into practical guidance. This resource will support researchers and stakeholders in designing and delivering high-quality, ethically robust engagement processes for HIV cure and ATI research as trials continue to expand across the continent.
UNDERSTANDING HIV AMONG NON-CITIZENS IN BOTSWANA
Ajibola Gbolahan, Clinical Researcher, BHP, and Gabriella Cromhout, Researcher, UKZN.
SANTHE SCIENTISTS SHINE AT CROI 2026
2nd Global ATI Consensus Workshop, which took place at the Trademark Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, 8-10 May 2024.
