HIV start-up meeting with the University of Hawai'i

Dr. Louie Mar Gangcuangco facilitated the visit of Scott Bowler, laboratory trainor and MSc in Tropical medicine candidate, and Dr. Cecilia Shikuma, Director of the Hawai'i Center for AIDS last November 13, 2017 to jumpstart the research collaboration with the University of Hawai'i and the Philippine General Hospital.

The research protocol entitled, "Immune activation dynamics of HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy in the Philippines" is an IRB-approved project of the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital and the Hawaii Center for AIDS-University of Hawaii. The primary goal of the study is to describe the degree of immune activation/inflammation among HIV-infected patients in the Philippines. This study will also look at the neuro-psychiatric performance of the HIV patients in the Philippine General Hospital.

The principal investigator from the Philippine General Hospital is Dr. Marissa Alejandria. Dr. Christian Francisco will serve as the project leader, and Ms. Concepcion Ang of the Medical Research Laboratory will supervise the lab operations of the study. Dr. Gangcuangco will serve as the over-all research liaison between the two institutions.

(Left  to Right) Kenneth Bongulto, (lab tech); Jerome Villena (research associate), Concepcion Ang (lab supervisor), Dr. Christian Francisco (project leader, PGH), Dr. Marissa Alejandria (principal investigator, PGH), Dr. Cecilia Shikuma (principal investigator, Univ. of Hawaii), Dr. Louie Gangcuangco (research liaison and returning scientist, Univ. of Hawaii), and Scott Bowler (lab trainor, Univ. of Hawaii).