FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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VGTI-FL Scientists Awarded Fellowships
for AIDS Research Projects
Port St. Lucie, FL (November 30, 2011) - Remi Fromentin, PhD and Franck Dupuy, PhD, Post-Doctoral researchers at Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute of Florida (VGTI-FL), have been awarded two-year Fellowship grants by amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. Each grant award is valued at $125,000.
Dr. Dupuy’s project will focus on developing new strategies to make the virus visible to the immune system or rescue the virus from its dormant state. Dr. Fromentin’s project will focus on developing an assay that will allow the assessment of the efficacy of novel compounds that can also awaken the virus from latency.
“Recognition of VGTI-FL as a site for training and developing a new generation of young scientists, confirms VGTI-FL as a hub for HIV eradication research,” said Dr. Rafick-Pierre Sekaly, Co-Director and Chief Scientific Officer of VGTI-FL.
“Elimination of the few latently HIV infected cells is still the most important obstacles to find a cure to HIV infection, the work of Drs Dupuy and Fromentin will help achieve this goal,” said Dr. Nicolas Chomont, Assistant Member at VGTI-FL.
About VGTI-FL
VGTI-FL is a leading immunological research institute in Port St. Lucie, FL. that focuses on studying the human immune system to prevent and treat chronic infectious diseases, cancer and autoimmune diseases that disproportionately affect aging populations. The Institute’s researchers have contributed to significant advances in the development of vaccines and other therapeutics to fight diseases such as AIDS, melanoma, breast cancer, prostate cancer, yellow fever and dengue fever through human clinical trials. VGTI-FL is an independent 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization.
Dr. Dupuy’s project will focus on developing new strategies to make the virus visible to the immune system or rescue the virus from its dormant state. Dr. Fromentin’s project will focus on developing an assay that will allow the assessment of the efficacy of novel compounds that can also awaken the virus from latency.
“Recognition of VGTI-FL as a site for training and developing a new generation of young scientists, confirms VGTI-FL as a hub for HIV eradication research,” said Dr. Rafick-Pierre Sekaly, Co-Director and Chief Scientific Officer of VGTI-FL.
“Elimination of the few latently HIV infected cells is still the most important obstacles to find a cure to HIV infection, the work of Drs Dupuy and Fromentin will help achieve this goal,” said Dr. Nicolas Chomont, Assistant Member at VGTI-FL.
About VGTI-FL
VGTI-FL is a leading immunological research institute in Port St. Lucie, FL. that focuses on studying the human immune system to prevent and treat chronic infectious diseases, cancer and autoimmune diseases that disproportionately affect aging populations. The Institute’s researchers have contributed to significant advances in the development of vaccines and other therapeutics to fight diseases such as AIDS, melanoma, breast cancer, prostate cancer, yellow fever and dengue fever through human clinical trials. VGTI-FL is an independent 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization.
