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Positively Positive - Living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS News Archive - September 2026
Cancer patients with HIV must travel farther than others to access clinical trials
September 30, 2026 - By Christine Grashorn - Notre Dame News - University of Notre Dame - For people living with HIV, the road to a promising cancer treatment can be longer than it should be, literally.
According to a new multi-institutional study, HIV-positive cancer patients face significantly longer travel times than cancer patients without HIV to receive chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, an experimental treatment that may help target cancer cells while resisting HIV infection.
The University of Notre Dame’s Civic-Geospatial Analysis and Learning Lab (C-GALL) teamed up with researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, University of Notre Dame, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Virginia Mason Medical Center, University of Washington Positive Research, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to examine whether geography may create an additional barrier to accessing CAR-T clinical trials.
Unspent healthcare funding faces do-or-die cliff
09/30/26 - By Nathaniel Weixel - THE HILL - The Trump administration has refused to spend billions of dollars that Congress appropriated for health programs, putting them at risk of expiring Wednesday when the fiscal year ends.
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People With HIV Are at Higher Risk for Cancer
September 30, 2026 - By Liz Highleyman- POZ - HIV-positive people had elevated rates of both infection-related malignancies and cancers not linked to infections.
Cancer remains an important comorbidity among people living with HIV worldwide, but risk varies according to demographic and behavioral factors, according to an analysis from the REPRIEVE trial published in the journal AIDS. People with HIV had higher rates of both infection-related malignancies and those not associated with infections, but AIDS-defining cancers were uncommon.
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MSU researchers work toward universal flu, HIV vaccines
September 29, 2026 - By Connor Yeck - MSUTODAY - Michigan State University - When you get your yearly flu shot, you’re helping your body stay one step ahead of the rapidly mutating influenza virus. But what if there was a way to achieve stronger, multi-year protection from a single jab?
With the support of a new grant from the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, Michigan State University researchers are looking to better understand a viral mechanism shared between influenza and HIV with the aim of disrupting infection. This research could help develop effective vaccines for both diseases, as well as new antivirals.
Led by the MSU Department of Chemistry’s Professor David Weliky, the ongoing project targets a crucial process known as viral fusion, which occurs when the membranes of a virus and a host cell join together, allowing that virus’ genetic cargo to slip inside and begin replicating.
WHO/Europe and MSF join forces to improve TB and HIV care across Eastern Europe and Central Asia
September 29, 2026 - World Health Organization (WHO) - The Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) region continues to face a dual burden of tuberculosis (TB) and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) alongside concentrated HIV epidemics among vulnerable populations. In the region, AIDS-related deaths continue to rise and annual new HIV infections are not declining, leaving the region off-track to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. These infections confound each other, as TB remains the leading cause of death among those living with HIV.
The WHO European Region has made substantial progress against TB, with incidence declining by 39% between 2015 and 2024. This is the fastest decline of any WHO region, and more than 3 times the global fall in numbers of 12%; however, major gaps remain. In 2024, an estimated 204 000 people developed TB in the Region, while around 161 600 cases were detected, meaning roughly 1 in 5 people who developed TB remained undetected.
HIV cases on the rise in Thunder Bay
THUNDER BAY - Sep 28, 2026 - Thunder Bay News - The district health unit has observed a recent increase in cases and is recommending prevention measures and testing.
Public health officials are reporting an increase in HIV cases in the Thunder Bay district.
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Elizabeth Taylor’s Attorney and Friend Recalls Sharing Stories with the Star About Her Volunteer Work on a Hospital AIDS Floor (Exclusive)
September, 28, 2026 - By Angela Andaloro
- People - Elizabeth Taylor was always committed to changing attitudes and outcomes around HIV/AIDS.
Taylor didn’t: just champion the cause publicly. She also found ways to bring it into other areas of her life, friend and attorney Barbara Berkowitz tells PEOPLE.
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Snapshots of an Epidemic: An HIV/AIDS Timeline
September 25, 2026 - amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research - amfAR traces key milestones in HIV/AIDS and the organization’s history, highlighting breakthroughs and challenges in the fight to end the epidemic.
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Sen. Collins Urges Administration to Spend Global Health Programs Funding
Washington, D.C. – September 24, 2026 - United States Senate Committee on Appropriations - U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Chair of the Appropriations Committee, sent a letter to Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, Russell Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and Eric Ueland, Chief Operating Officer and Performing the Duties of Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), asking them to ensure the remaining Global Health Programs funding is spent, citing lifesaving programs.
British Columbia study finds sex differences in the health of people living with HIV
September 24, 2026 - By Sean R. Hosein - Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE) - A B.C. study compared health indicators among people with HIV based on sex assigned at birth
At ages 20 and 40, those assigned male at birth had more years free from comorbidities
Researchers noted higher substance use among study participants assigned female at birth
HIV treatment (antiretroviral therapy, ART) has had a tremendous impact on the survival of people with HIV. Researchers increasingly expect that many people taking ART can have a life expectancy approaching that of their peers without HIV. However, this rosy forecast may not apply to all populations. For instance, a study in British Columbia of people with HIV found that between 2012 and 2020, those assigned male at birth had eight more years of life expectancy than those assigned female at birth. This difference occurred despite the availability of universal healthcare and subsidized access to ART.
California’s Prop 38 Immunotherapy Bond Promises Almost Nothing for HIV/AIDS
September 24, 2026 - By Joyce Mitchell - POZ - “No on Prop 38!” urges AIDS activist Joyce Mitchell, noting that the November ballot item seeks $8.4 billion for immunology treatment and cure research—but excludes HIV.
California’s Proposition 38 is asking for $8.4 billion in general obligation bonds to fund research in immunology and immunotherapy, which show promise for developing treatments and cures for numerous diseases. So why is it essentially excluding HIV/AIDS? The pandemic has a total global death toll of more than 44 million people. Immunotherapy research could promote finding a cure plus help people living with HIV.
Nearly 145,000 people in California are HIV positive. They face a significantly higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer compared to the general population. There is no cure for HIV/AIDS. And the national political climate is not helping.
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Lambda Legal and National HIV Advocates Take Trump Administration Restrictions on Transgender HIV Care to Trial
September 23, 2026 - LAMBDA LEGAL - When care is withheld for political reasons, patients stop trusting their providers. When trust breaks, they stop showing up for the treatment that keeps them alive.
Today, Lambda Legal and Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer (US) LLP presented their case at a bench trial in American Academy for HIV Medicine, et al. v. HRSA, et al., the lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s efforts to exclude transgender patients living with HIV from the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and restrict the use of Ryan White funds when providing HIV care and other care for these patients. The case was brought on behalf of the American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM), the HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA), the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC), and individual provider plaintiffs.
The Ryan White Program was built to provide integrated care for low-income people living with HIV, a population that includes a significant number of transgender people. Under the funding conditions at issue, Ryan White funding recipients cannot acknowledge or respect the identities of their transgender patients and cannot use program funds in ways that necessitate them doing so, such as by treating co-occurring conditions like gender dysphoria through gender-affirming hormones. That leaves transgender patients cut off from care Congress built this program to give them.
WHAT REMAINS AT THE END: on cimbing, living with aids, and survival
September 23, 2026 - By Gregory Fowler - WHAT REMAINS AT THE END: on climbing, living with aids, and survival is Gregory Fowler’s memoir of surviving the darkest years of the AIDS epidemic and discovering in the mountains a reason to keep moving forward.
Infectious disease epidemics are associated with global losses in human resources for health, with low- and middle-income countries impacted relatively more, according to analysis over 20 years and 194 countries
September 22, 2026) - PLOS Medicine - Global, regional, and national impact of epidemic disasters on health workforce equality between 1990 and 2019: An ecological and modeling study
Ottawa scientists explore the use of long-acting cabotegravir + rilpivirine in pregnancy
September 22, 2026 - By Sean R. Hosein - Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE) - Long-acting HIV treatment with cabotegravir + rilpivirine is an option for some people
International guidelines do not recommend its use during pregnancy due to efficacy concerns
Researchers found promising results in pregnancy when oral therapy alone was not an option
Long-acting formulations of cabotegravir + rilpivirine—a combination sold as Cabenuva in Canada and several other high-income countries—have proven effective in the treatment of people with HIV. These long-acting formulations are injected deep into the buttocks every two months. Cabenuva is generally well tolerated, though some people report temporary discomfort and pain at the injection site.
According to a team of scientists at the Ottawa Hospital, leading international guidelines generally recommend the use of Cabenuva but do not recommend its use during pregnancy or in people who are trying to become pregnant. This is because during the later stages of pregnancy, physiological changes may reduce the concentration of cabotegravir + rilpivirine in the blood. In theory, this could reduce the effectiveness of treatment for the parent and potentially increase the risk of HIV transmission to the fetus.
Watch: New Irish short film highlights the everyday reality of living with HIV
22 September, 2026 - By Ciara Kelly - GCN Magazine - My Day Is The Same As Yours is now available to watch on the Sexual Health Centre YouTube channel.
My Day Is The Same As Yours is a new short film available on YouTube that provides insight into the everyday reality of living with HIV. Produced by the Cork-based Sexual Health Centre, it is directed by their HIV Programme Manager Ian Brennan and filmmaker Jack Deacon, and stars LGBTQ+ Support Worker Gabriel Marttin de França.
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Global Virus Network Statement on H5N1 Detections in Australian Mammals
TAMPA, FL, USA (September 18, 2026) - Global Virus Network (GVN) - Latest detection in an endangered Australian sea lion follows infections in fur seals, a dolphin and foxes
The Global Virus Network (GVN) is closely monitoring detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1), commonly known as bird flu, in several mammal species in Australia as the virus continues to spread among birds and mammals worldwide.
On Sept. 13, Australian authorities confirmed the first detection in an Australian sea lion, an endangered species, at Seal Bay on Kangaroo Island. Australia reported its first confirmed detection in a mammal on Aug. 23, when a long-nosed fur seal found at Beachport in South Australia tested positive. A second long-nosed fur seal near Kangaroo Island was confirmed two days later. Subsequent detections included a red fox in metropolitan Adelaide, a common dolphin at Goolwa and a second fox at Normanville.
Scenes From the 2026 U.S. HIV/AIDS Conference in Anaheim, California
September 18, 2026 - By Trent Straube - POZ - The theme of #2026USCHA is “United and Unbreakable: The HIV Movement at 45.” It marks “our commitment to the future.”
The HIV community is gathering for its largest annual event—and here’s your virtual front row seat to the inspiring speeches, informative workshops, exhibit hall booths and all-around joyous spirit. The U.S. HIV/AIDS Conference (USCHA) is taking place from September 17 to 20 in Anaheim, California.
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Teaching the immune system to control HIV
TAMPA, FL, USA (September 18, 2026) - Global Virus Network (GVN) - There is no cure for HIV. While scientists have made considerable progress in controlling the infection, patients still must take daily antiretroviral medication for the rest of their lives. Results from a clinical trial led by Rockefeller, Imperial College London, and the University of Oxford (RIO) have offered a new strategy, suggesting that just one or two doses of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) can suppress the virus long-term, keeping it at undetectable levels for months and even years.
Now data from the RIO trial reveals how the bNAbs used kept the virus in check, with lessons that may inform HIV therapy. In a paper published in Nature Medicine, researchers found that participants who already had their own neutralizing antibodies against HIV were better able to control the virus, suggesting that a patient’s natural immune response can work alongside bNAbs. The bNAbs also appear to have accelerated the decline of the intact viral reservoir, the pool of dormant HIV that can reignite infection when treatment stops.
AIDS Walk 2026: 40th Anniversary
September 16, 2026 - Ribbon Community - Join us Friday, September 18
3:00 PM – Gather to walk in the parking lot behind the Sunset Beach concession stand
4:00 PM – Reflection at the AIDS Memorial
5:30 PM – Show and Community Panel at The Junction (1138 Davie St.)
Ribbon Community is thrilled to host this year’s 40th anniversary AIDS Walk on Friday, September 18. It’s a free community event about the past, present, and future of the HIV response, and everyone is welcome. Thanks to generous sponsorship from ViiV Healthcare, this event is free!
Rethink, Rebuild, Rise
This year, the AIDS Walk will focus on honouring and celebrating the past, present, and future of the HIV response, and the ways our communities continue to connect amid HIV, HIV stigma, and the underlying and reinforcing inequities. Pulling from the 2026 World AIDS Day theme of Rethink, Rebuild, Rise, this community celebration will be an opportunity to continue the important work of HIV activists globally throughout 40+ years.
Global Fund Report Shows Countries Fought to Protect Essential Health Services Despite Challenging Year
GENEVA – 16 September 2026 - The Global Fund - The Global Fund partnership has now helped save 72 million lives since 2002, with this year’s Results Report highlighting how country and community leadership, innovation and partnership helped protect essential services and safeguard decades of progress against HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria amid unprecedented global health challenges.
Countries and partners showed remarkable resilience in the fight against HIV, TB and malaria in 2025, as they worked together to protect hard-won gains during one of the toughest periods in global health, according to the Global Fund’s 2026 Results Report released today.
Across more than 100 countries where the Global Fund invests, governments, communities, civil society and bilateral and multilateral partners adapted to mounting pressures – from sharp cuts in international funding to conflict, displacement and growing humanitarian need – to sustain essential services and protect more than two decades of progress against the three diseases. The Global Fund partnership worked alongside countries to address critical gaps, sustain essential programs and accelerate access to innovation.
Fiji declares HIV emergency as 1 in 60 Fijian adults live with HIV
September 16, 2026 - RNZ Pacific Reporters - Radio New Zealand - Fiji’s Health Minister Dr Atonio Lalabalavu has formally declared a national HIV emergency in the country.
In a pre-recorded video press statement on Tuesday, Dr Lalabalavu said the decision was backed by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and his Cabinet due to the “seriousness of the epidemic”.
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Empowering Communities: ViiV Healthcare Awards $33 Million in Grants to Advance HIV Response in the U.S.
September 15, 2026 - DURHAM, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ViiV Healthcare. - Ahead of the 2026 U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS (USCHA), ViiV Healthcare announced it has funded 230 community-based organizations this year to strengthen essential HIV services and help connect people to HIV prevention and care
ViiV Healthcare, the global specialist HIV company majority owned by GSK, with Shionogi as a shareholder, today announced more than $33 million in U.S. community grants awarded in 2026. These investments support 230 community-based organizations in 110 cities across 36 states and territories, including Puerto Rico, working to ensure that people and communities most disproportionately impacted by HIV have access to the support they need.
Weill Cornell Medicine Receives $3 Million to Launch Research Center Focused on HIV’s Effects on the Brain
September 14, 2026 - Weill Cornell Medicine - Weill Cornell Medicine and Rutgers Health in New Brunswick have received a four-year, $3 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to build the infrastructure and resources that will accelerate discoveries about HIV-associated brain injury. The New York-New Jersey Center for Actionable NeuroHIV Biomarkers (NYJ-CAN-BIO) will provide the expertise, training and latest technologies needed to understand how HIV impacts the brain. This research center could uncover molecular markers that enable new diagnostics and lead to potential therapies for people living with neurological complications related to HIV.
Full Fourth Circuit hashes Pentagon ban on HIV-positive enlistees
RICHMOND, Va. - September 14, 2026 - By Joe Dodson - Courthouse News Service - The military argues the ban is rational to limit costs and maintain diplomatic peace with other countries, while the plaintiffs argue it fails to reflect modern science.
The entire Fourth Circuit heard a challenge to the military’s ban on HIV-positive service members Monday after a three-judge panel of the federal appeals court greenlit the policy in February.
The plaintiffs include a trans woman who was honorably discharged from the Army for being HIV-positive, a gay man who was in the Georgia National Guard but cannot join the Army, and a cisgender woman who cannot enlist in the Army because she has HIV, along with the advocacy organization Minority Veterans of America. They argue the policy, which prohibits even those whose treatment renders the virus undetectable, is discriminatory and not rooted in science.
HIV and AIDS: Detection, Prevention, and Treatment
Newswise - 14-Sep-2026 - UT Health Houston - About 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus. Because of major advances in medical treatment and technology, people with HIV are living long, healthy lives.
Here’s what to know about the condition ahead of HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day, observed Sept. 18.
Kelly Dooley’s TB research receives MERIT Award from the NIH
September 11, 2026 - By Paul Govern - Vanderbilt Health News - Vanderbilt University Medical Center - Researchers must continually chase funding for their work. Kelly Dooley’s prestigious award from the NIH is intended to help provide respite from that chase.
Kelly Dooley, MD, PhD, MPH, Addison B. Scoville Jr. Professor of Medicine and director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has received a MERIT Award (Method to Extend Research in Time Award) from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
According to the NIH, MERIT Awards provide long-term grant support to investigators “whose research competence and productivity are distinctly superior and who are highly likely to continue to perform in an outstanding manner.”
Despite declining HIV diagnoses, barriers to testing and prevention persist in Peel
September 11, 2026 - By Bridget Potasky - Brampton Guardian - Despite a recent decline in HIV diagnosis rates, marginalized communities in Peel continue to face barriers to HIV prevention including stigma, language differences, and affordability issues.
HIV diagnosis rates in Peel Region may be declining after rising sharply in 2023, but some residents continue to face obstacles to accessing HIV testing and prevention care.
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Hannah Stadtler completes her Ph.D. with a mission to understand HIV and the brain
September 11, 2026 - By Christopher Richmond - VCU News - Virginia Commonwealth University - Her research was propelled by a Wright Center biomedical sciences initiative, and her M.D. is next as she continues in VCU’s Medical Scientist Training Program.
Hannah Stadtler knew whom she wanted to work with before even arriving at VCU.
Without having set foot on campus, she had cold-emailed Gretchen Neigh, Ph.D., a professor in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine’s Department of Neuroscience and Anatomy. Neigh’s work at the intersection of stress and biology aligned exactly with where Stadtler wanted to take her science.
Feds announce $5M for HIV self-test kits, more peer support staff
September 10, 2026- By Brittany Hobson - The Canadian Press - CBC - Manitoba declared public health emergency over HIV rates in May
The federal government announced $5 million in funding for HIV prevention and support services at a news conference in Winnipeg on Thursday.
Doug Eyolfson, a Manitoba member of Parliament, made the announcement with Dr. Joss Reimer, Canada's chief public health officer.
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Government of Canada expands access to HIV self-testing and peer support services
September 10, 2026 - Winnipeg, MB - Public Health Agency of Canada - Approximately 2,300 new HIV diagnoses were reported in 2024, and an estimated 7,000 people living with HIV are unaware of their status. Knowing one’s HIV status is the first step to prevention, treatment, and care – and with treatment, people with HIV can live long, healthy lives.
Today, on behalf of the Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health, Doug Eyolfson, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg West, alongside the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, Dr. Joss Reimer, announced a $5 million investment to improve HIV prevention and support services. This funding will increase access to HIV self-test kits and support the hiring of peer-based support workers for populations facing the highest burdens of HIV and barriers to care across the country.
What to Know About the New HIV Medication Bixlenvo
Sept. 10, 2026 - By Tim Murphy - TheBody - On Aug. 27, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Bixlenvo, a new one-pill-daily HIV regimen. It’s made up of two drugs:
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The Wistar Institute Wins $15M+ NIH Investment to Advance HIV Cure Research Strategies
PHILADELPHIA — (Sept. 9, 2026) The Wistar Institute -Grants funding positions Philadelphia as an anchor for HIV cure research—advancing combination strategies aimed at durable, drug-free remission.
More than 40 million people worldwide live with HIV and depend on daily antiretroviral therapy to stay alive. Federal funding is a major driver advancing the research needed to develop new therapy strategies toward a cure. Today, The Wistar Institute announces the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded two major grants totaling more than $15M to Luis J. Montaner, D.V.M., D.Phil., director of Wistar’s HIV Cure and Viral Diseases Center.
One award is a 2-year, $11.2 million award to the BEAT-HIV Martin Delaney Collaboratory (BEAT-HIV.org), a leading consortium of top U.S. researchers codirected by Montaner, executive vice president and Herbert Kean, M.D., Family Professor; James L. Riley, Ph.D., professor at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania; and Robert F. Siliciano, M.D., Ph.D., professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Building on five-year grants awarded in 2016 and 2021, the new funding extends support through 2028.
Scientists study computer simulation of implementing over-the-counter HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis
SEPTEMBER 8, 2026 - By Sean R. Hosein - Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE) - Scientists in the U.S. modelled the potential effects of making PrEP available over the counter
Increasing PrEP use by 50% would result in a 15% decrease in new HIV transmissions
The model also estimated risks of over-the-counter access on kidney injury and drug resistance
In clinical trials and demonstration projects, HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective at reducing the risk for HIV infection.
The most widely used formulation of PrEP is TDF + FTC, chiefly because of its relatively low cost.
Significantly reducing new HIV infections will likely require increased access to HIV testing, PrEP and retention in PrEP care.
US HIV cash cuts: Thousands at risk
7 September 2026- By Tracy Tafirenyika - The Nambian - The United States’ decision to phase out HIV funding to Namibia leaves over 29 000 Namibians facing the loss of critical support services.
The Ministry of International Relations and Trade released a statement last week, saying US support would transition from financial assistance to technical cooperation over the next year.
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Trump administration ends $45M support for Namibia HIV program
09/05/26 - By Mira Bhakta - THE HILL- The Trump administration announced it will be ending its financial support for Namibia’s HIV response program, following a little more than two decades of annual payments — totaling more than $1.1 billion.
The U.S. will provide its final $45 million payment in fiscal 2027 as “this support will transition into a technical cooperation model,” the U.S. Embassy in Namibia and Namibia’s Ministry of International Relations and Trade said in a joint statement released Friday.
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UConn Professor Takes on HIV/AIDS Denialists Yet Again
September 4, 2026 - By Kimberly Phillips - UConn Today - UConn University of Connecticut - Kalichman talked with UConn Today about AIDS denialism, his recent research, and where we go from here
These days, Seth Kalichman takes note of the lack of headlines about HIV and AIDS, especially as compared to the number of stories that dotted front pages in the 1980s and 1990s.
“It’s what we were all working for,” says Kalichman, a professor of psychological sciences at UConn. “It’s just not the same crisis that it once was. It’s still a personal crisis for every individual who contracts HIV infection, but in terms of being the same public health crisis, we’re past those days thanks to the success of HIV treatments.”
What is a problem today, he says, is the growing number of AIDS denialists and their efforts to undo those successes.
‘We finally understand what we have to do’: antibody studies point the way to an HIV cure
4 September 2026 - By Gus Cairns - aidsmap - The 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, featured few new scientific breakthroughs in terms of vaccines or cures for HIV. But as well as featuring two more cases of cure following stem-cell transplants, a range of studies were presented that shed new light on how we might achieve a less drastic and more accessible form of cure, or at least enable people not to have to take regular antiretroviral therapy (ART).
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Threats to infectious diseases research leave our country at significant risk
September 3, 2026 - IDSA - Infectious Diseases Society of America - IDSA and HIVMA are concerned by a notice released Aug. 28 by the National Institutes of Health announcing a proposed overhaul of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ clinical research program with few details and a brief comment period. Changes of the magnitude suggested deserve a lengthier and meaningful opportunity for input from researchers, clinicians, community partners and other stakeholders including Congress.
The proposed restructuring comes after many months of delays in NIH issuing renewal notices for NIAID’s clinical trial networks and Centers for AIDS Research, whose discoveries helped establish the United States as a leader in biomedical research worldwide. The renewal notices for the ID networks were finally released this week, but ongoing delays in the renewals for the pioneering CFARs and HIV clinical trial networks are alarming.
Cancer medication helps reduce SIV reservoir, increases hope for HIV cure
September 3, 2026 - Emory Health Sciences - Emory University researchers have provided the first proof-of-concept in a nonhuman primate model for eliminating HIV-infected cells with venetoclax, a clinically approved medication for cancer. Venetoclax effectively targets and blocks Bcl-2, a protein that not only regulates whether cells live or die but also promotes the survival of cancer cells. Similarly, Bcl-2 is a culprit in sustaining HIV cell reservoirs. The research team determined venetoclax is also effective at reducing simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) reservoir levels in vivo when given as part of a combination treatment for HIV.
The study results are reported in Nature Microbiology, and two clinical trials are under way to test venetoclax in people living with HIV.
Trailblazing D.C. Faith, Nightlife, and HIV/AIDS Leader Bishop Rainey Cheeks Is Remembered by Those Who Loved Him
Sep 3, 2026 - By Tim Murphy - TheBody - On Aug. 11, the U.S. lost one of its longtime pillars of both the HIV/AIDS and Black queer communities: Bishop Kwabena Albert “Rainey” Cheeks, who was 74. He not only co-founded the seminal, Washington, D.C.–based HIV service organization Us Helping Us (in 1985) but also co-ran the legendary D.C. nightclub The ClubHouse (from 1975 to 1990) and founded and led the city’s LGBTQ-affirming Inner Light Ministries church (from 1993 to 2022).
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Sexual Health Is Health: Testing, Treatment and Prevention for All, says AHF
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Sep 3, 2026 - AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) -As sexually transmitted infections continue to rise worldwide, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) marks World Sexual Health Day by calling on governments and health systems to expand access to prevention, testing, and treatment services for HIV and other STIs.
Despite proven tools to prevent, diagnose, and treat HIV and other STIs, gaps in access continue to put millions of people at risk globally. With an estimated 1.2 million new HIV infections each year globally, more than 1 million STIs acquired every day worldwide, and an estimated 374 million new cases of syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis each year, the time to act is now. Declining global health funding and reduced access to condoms and routine screening threaten to further fuel rising STI rates.
Syphilis alone accounts for an estimated 8 million of those new cases annually and often causes no visible symptoms, allowing the infection to spread undetected.
Scientists are developing on-target HIV vaccines to avoid unhelpful immune responses
3 September 2026 - By Gus Cairns - aidsmap - Several studies presented at the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) in Rio de Janeiro last month dealt with vaccines designed to counteract a phenomenon that has limited their efficacy in the past – immunodominance.
Immunodominance is the immune system’s tendency to focus on the most conspicuous parts of a virus. With HIV, those parts act like decoys: they vary freely from one virus to the next, so antibodies against them work on few other strains.
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CBC Radio Documentary:
Summer camp supports youth affected by HIV
September 2, 2026 - Ribbon Community - Back in August, CBC radio joined Ribbon Community at Camp Moomba. Moomba is a longstanding summer camp program for children living with and affected by HIV, that came to Ribbon Community in summer 2026.
Nobody Told Us We Would Grow Old
September 2, 2026 - By Eric Novak - Still Here at Seventy — Aging with HIV
When I was diagnosed in 1984, nobody talked about growing old with HIV. The conversation was about survival — immediate, urgent, and often measured in months rather than years. Medical advice was less about long-term planning and more about settling affairs.
I am now seventy years old. I have lived with HIV for more than four decades.
What that means medically, psychologically, and practically is something nobody fully prepared me for — because nobody expected any of us to get here.
Namibia Rejects US Demands for Data and Pathogen-Sharing
02/09/2026 - By Kerry Cullinan - Health Policy Watch - Namibia has rejected the United States’ demands for sharing health data and pathogen information during negotiations for renewed US support for its HIV programme, according to The Namibian newspaper.
In the past few years, the country has received around $45 million a year in support from the US President &rsquo: Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and a total of over $1 billion since 2003.
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Recurring escape routes reveal patterns in HIV evolution
September 1, 2026 - By T Vasanthakumar - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center - From the Cohn Lab, Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division
Within each person living with HIV, viral evolution unfolds at a remarkable pace. As the virus replicates, it rapidly accumulates mutations, generating thousands of genetically distinct viral variants. That extraordinary diversity has long complicated efforts to vaccinate against and cure HIV.
Despite HIV’s immense diversity, some antibodies can recognize and neutralize a broad range of viral variants. These broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) have emerged as promising tools for both HIV treatment and prevention. But even bNAbs can eventually be outpaced by HIV’s rapid evolution. Mutations can subtly reshape the virus, allowing HIV to escape recognition by bNAbs while retaining its ability to infect cells.
Scientists have long known that HIV can become resistant to antibody therapies. What has been harder to track is exactly how that escape unfolds.
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