
Developing a PrEP Adherence Intervention Targeting At-Risk and Substance Using Women
HIV/AIDSThe purpose of this study is to develop and assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy on adherence of a community-informed intervention for tenofovir/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) engagement among street-based female sex workers (FSW) in Baltimore, Maryland.

PrEP My Way: A Novel PrEP Delivery System to Meet the Needs of Young African Women
HIV/AIDSThe investigators will first develop, tailor, and refine PrEP My Way for use with young women in Kisumu, Kenya (Aim 1). The design firm will use a client-centered, iterative approach, involving up to 15 individual interviews and two focus group discussions (with up to 5 women each) to optimally design the PrEP My Way kit (with instructional materials) and peer delivery system (including communication and kit delivery plans). The investigators will then test the intervention for feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary impact on PrEP adherence and program retention (Aim 2). The study team will randomize 100 Kenyan women to PrEP My Way versus standard of care (i.e., clinic-based delivery of PrEP and sexual health services) and follow them for 6 months. Feasibility will be assessed by receipt of the kit at 1, 3, and 6 months and ability to use its components per protocol. Acceptability will be determined through a mixed-methods interview at 6 months. Preliminary impact will be evaluated by dried blood spot tenofovir levels (adherence) and kit use/clinic attendance at 6 months (retention) as primary outcomes. Mediators and moderators of PrEP use (e.g., empowerment and mental health) will be explored through questionnaires at baseline and 6 months.

Reaching Out to the UNdiagnosed People Infected With Blood Borne Viral Infections
Hepatitis BHepatitis c1 moreTitle Reaching out to the UNdiagnosed people infected with blood-borne viral infections (RUNtoBBV) Objectives 1. To study the efficacy of an outreach methodology to increase the uptake for screening, linkage to care and treatment in (active or former) people who use drugs (PWUD) Trial design Prospective multicenter interventional cohort design Number of subjects 336 inclusions (with prevalence of HCV Ab: 30%) 168 Antwerp 168 Limburg Selection criteria Inclusion criteria: 18 years of age History of/ or active drug use Written informed consent obtained Exclusion criteria Currently enrolled in centralized OST program of Free Clinic or CAD Limburg Endpoints The following endpoints will be compared between the centers in Limburg and Antwerp: (Main outcome in bold) Main objectives: Prevalence of blood-borne viral infections in Belgian (former or active) PWUD: HCV infection (number of HCV Ab+ / number of screened PWUD) HBV infection (number of HBsAg+/number of screened PWUD) HIV infection (number of HIV Ab+/number of screened PWUD) Analysis of linkage to care to hepatologist/ infectiologist (number of patients who adhered to their consultation/number of referred patients) Secondary objectives: Analysis of risk behavior/sociodemographics linked to presence of BBV infections Analysis of uptake of anti(retro)viral treatment (number of patients started on treatment/number of patients needing treatment) Analysis of treatment adherence (adherence to treatment consultations/total planned consultations) Analysis of treatment outcome (total number of cured or virally suppressed patients/total number of treated patients)

Study to Evaluate the Safety of Griffithsin in a Carrageenan Gel in Healthy Women
HIV InfectionThis is a two-part study. The first part is a single-dose open label design. The second part employs a multiple dose, randomized, placebo controlled study design. Studies have demonstrated that GRFT is highly potent for HIV prevention and is effective at very low concentrations. One 4 mL dose of PC-6500, designed to provide an adequate vaginal concentration of GRFT for the prevention of HIV, based on preclinical data, will be evaluated. Rising dose tolerance is not the goal of this study because GRFT is likely to be minimally absorbed systemically, if at all.

Digital Star: HIV Prevention for Youth in Mental Health Treatment
Human Immunodeficiency VirusMental HealthTeenagers in mental health treatment are at greater risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. This greater risk comes from many factors, some of which are related to poor emotion regulation and low self-confidence. There is a need for an HIV prevention program specifically for these at-risk teens. The goal of this study is to develop a computerized HIV prevention study tailored to adolescents in mental health treatment. The first part of the study will develop core sessions of D*STAR. It will do this by using focus group feedback from approximately 15 adolescents in mental health treatment, and approximately 10 parents of youth in mental health treatment and mental health treatment center staff. Feedback on D*STAR prototype sessions will also be collected from two individual interviews with approximately 15 youth in mental health treatment. Core sessions will then be reviewed in an open trial with approximately 30 adolescents. The second part of the study will develop and refine digital versions of the remaining sessions of STAR and a digital general health promotion intervention. It will do this by using focus group feedback from approximately 20 adolescents in mental health treatment, and approximately 10 community advisory board members which include variety of staff from mental health treatment settings such as administrators, supervisors, therapists, health teachers at therapeutic schools, clinicians at day hospitals and day treatment programs, parents of youth in mental health treatment and from relevant community organizations, such as those serving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth. Feedback on D*STAR prototype sessions will also be collected from two individual interviews with approximately 20 youth in mental health treatment. All developed sessions (from both Phase I and Phase II) will then be reviewed in an open trial with approximately 20 adolescents. A randomized control trial (RCT) will then be conducted to compare D*STAR to a time matched digital general health promotion intervention among approximately 120 adolescents. For the pilot and RCT phases, assessments will be administered prior to randomization, immediately following the last intervention session, and at one month post-intervention (pilot study) or at three month post-intervention (RCT).

Using Mobile Technology and Incentives With Men Who Have Sex With Men and Transgender Women for...
HIV InfectionsHIVThis project called Mobile Technology and Incentives (MOTIVES) aims to increase engagement with HIV prevention information and improve testing frequency among Latino/a men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW). Its primary goal is to develop and test the feasibility and acceptability of an HIV prevention intervention that uses text messages in combination with prizes to improve HIV prevention information retention and HIV testing frequency. The project will be conducted in collaboration with Bienestar Human Services, Inc. (Bienestar) in Los Angeles County. Phase 1 consists of formative research (focus groups n=9) with MSM (n=52) and TGW (n=39) to complement the previously collected pilot data (2014-2015) to finalize the planned intervention. In Phase 2, the intervention will be piloted among 5 individuals, implemented, and tested in a small, randomized controlled trial (RCT) among 200 Latino MSM and TGW from Bienestar's HIV testing sites. Interested individuals will be screened for eligibility upon testing HIV-negative (those testing positive will be linked to HIV services as required by Bienestar's standard of care). Eligible participants will be randomized into either the intervention or control group that will both receive study information weekly and will be invited to get tested for HIV every three months. Participants in the intervention group will be able to accumulate rewards points for correctly answering weekly quizzes regarding the HIV prevention information; these reward incentives aim to encourage retention in the study and improve HIV prevention knowledge engagement and recollection. Every three months those in the intervention group can win a prize based on testing HIV-negative at least once during that time period. The chance of winning will increase based on the number of reward points a participant accumulates by correctly answering questions on the weekly quizzes. The primary outcome measures will include HIV-preventive knowledge and frequency of HIV testing (at least once every 3 months). In Phase 3 of the study, the investigators will conduct 6 focus groups with approximately 5-8 participants each among MSM (n=3) and TGW (n=1) study participants, testing site staff (n=1), and administrative staff (n=1) to identify implementation challenges and areas for improvement; and estimate mission-critical design parameters with point and confidence interval estimates to inform a subsequent, fully-powered R01 application.

A Pragmatic Clinical Trial of MyPEEPS Mobile to Improve HIV Prevention Behaviors in Diverse Adolescent...
HIV InfectionsThe proposed MyPEEPS Mobile intervention is a novel and evidence-driven intervention using mobile technology to deliver HIV prevention information specifically developed for at-risk young men who have sex with men (YMSM). This will be the one of the first studies to test the efficacy of a scaled-up, mobile version of an existing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention intervention originally developed for, designed by, and piloted for, a diverse group of YMSM. MyPEEPS Mobile will be tested in an randomized controlled trial with racially and ethnically diverse HIV-negative or unknown status YMSM aged 13-18 at four geographically diverse sites: Birmingham, Chicago, New York City, and Seattle, allowing for increased generalizability of findings.

Fostering Resilience to Psychosocial and HIV Risk in Indian MSM
HIV InfectionSexual Behavior1 moreIndia has the world's third largest HIV epidemic and men who have sex with men (MSM) are an identified high risk group. MSM in India face unique psychosocial stress underlying the context of HIV risk. To maximize the potential impact of an HIV prevention intervention, the purpose of this study is to test, in a two-arm randomized controlled efficacy trial, a behavioral intervention that addresses both psychosocial / contextual stress and reducing participant's risk for HIV.

Text Messaging to Improve HIV Testing Among Young Women in Kenya
HIV InfectionThe purpose of this study is to determine whether regularly scheduled HIV sensitization text messages (SMS) are effective in increasing HIV testing rates among young women in Kenya.

Evaluating the Safety and Immunogenicity of PENNVAX®-GP DNA Vaccine and IL-12 Plasmid, Delivered...
HIV InfectionsThe study will evaluate the safety and tolerability of the PENNVAX®-GP HIV-1 DNA vaccine and interleukin 12 (IL-12) DNA adjuvant, given by intradermal (ID) or intramuscular (IM) injection with electroporation (EP), in healthy, HIV-uninfected adults.