Najla Nasr completed her PhD at the University of Sydney focusing on HIV pathogenesis. She is currently an Associate Professor in the School of Medical Sciences at the University of Sydney and a Group Leader at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research. Her research focuses on HIV prevention and cure strategies. Her seminal highly cited work has focussed on how HIV manipulates innate immunity to evade detection and facilitate transmission by inhibiting the Type I interferon system- the body’s early warning system against invading viral pathogens. Dr Nasr is funded by both the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (Ideas Grant as CIA) and philanthropic funds from the Neil and Norma Hill Foundation. Her group currently has two lines of research. Firstly, they are investigating the use of T cell immunotherapy and the interferon system to find ways to eradicate dormant HIV from latently infected CD4 T cells. Secondly, they are investigating the dynamics of HIV transmission using inflamed human anogenital tissues where transmission occurs, and the clinically relevant HIV transmission strains derived from sub-Sharan Africa where the HIV pandemic continue to rage. This work aims to define the key myeloid and lymphoid HIV target cells to block HIV transmission via a vaccine, and in the meantime via more effective blocking strategies.

Dr. Francesco Simonetti is an Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins University. His translational research combines clinical insight, molecular virology, and immunology to investigate HIV persistence. A recipient of the NIH Director’s Early Independence Award, he aims to improve outcomes for people living with HIV through novel diagnostics and cure strategies