Press Releases 2021

The Campbell Foundation Awards Awards $20,000 in “Holiday Hug” Grants to Florida Organizations Serving Those with HIV/AIDS

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL –– Dec. 16, 2021 –– For nearly three decades, The Campbell Foundation has supported HIV/AIDS research around the world while also providing unrestricted Holiday Hug grants to Florida organizations serving people living with HIV/AIDS. This year, 10 organizations will each receive a $2,000 grant: AH Monroe, Broward House, Care Resource, Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center, Compass, Empath/EPIC, Latinos Salud, McGregor Clinic, Poverello, and SunServe. Since the program began in 1996, the foundation has awarded nearly $1.5 million in Holiday Hug funding. "As we enter our 27th year of funding HIV/AIDS research, The Campbell Foundation is proud to have been able to lend financial assistance to these organizations,” said Trustee Bill Venuti. He noted that recipients provide essential services ranging from HIV and COVID-19 testing to food, housing, and mental health support, helping ensure vulnerable community members do not fall through the cracks. Several recipients said the funding helps meet critical community needs. Broward House uses the grants to provide wraparound services that complement medical treatment, while Poverello relies on the support to supply everyday essentials for clients facing increased need since the pandemic. Latinos Salud has expanded free wellness and vaccination services with foundation support, and Compass has used funding to host holiday programming for youth and their families. Organization leaders said the grants provide both valuable resources and recognition for their work serving Florida’s HIV/AIDS community.

The Campbell Foundation Awards Awards $75K Grant to FAU Researcher Studying RNA Molecules Generated by HIV

FORT LAUDERDALE – Oct. 12, 2021 – Florida Atlantic University biomedical scientist Massimo Caputi, Ph.D., has identified a novel class of molecules called circular RNAs that HIV-1 produces while replicating in human cells. Derived from the viral RNA used to make proteins, these closed-loop molecules may play an important role in HIV biology. To advance the research, The Campbell Foundation awarded Caputi a $75,000 grant to determine the amount, composition, and function of these circular RNAs during HIV replication.

Circular RNAs have been linked to immune regulation as well as cancer, neurological, autoimmune, and cardiovascular diseases. Researchers believe understanding how HIV-generated circular RNAs function could reveal new therapeutic targets. The Campbell Foundation called the project highly innovative, noting its potential to expand knowledge of HIV biology and uncover new treatment strategies. Caputi has a long history of HIV research, including studies on how cellular proteins influence viral replication. A previous $30,000 Campbell Foundation grant in 2017 helped generate findings that later led to a $448,500 National Institutes of Health award. Caputi emphasized that better understanding HIV replication and immune evasion is critical for developing new therapies, particularly as drug-resistant HIV strains continue to emerge.

The Campbell Foundation Awards Awards $80K Grant to Study Long-Covid in HIV+ Patients

FORT LAUDERDALE – August 12, 2021 – The Campbell Foundation has awarded an $80,000 grant to Mohamed Abdel-Mohsen, Ph.D., assistant professor at The Wistar Institute Vaccine & Immunotherapy Center, to investigate a possible link between Long COVID and gut leakiness, a condition in which bacteria and bacterial products pass from the gut into the bloodstream and trigger chronic inflammation. Abdel-Mohsen’s research builds on findings that severe COVID-19 is associated with gut leakiness, a process also known to contribute to inflammation in people living with HIV/AIDS. While there is currently no evidence that people with HIV are more susceptible to COVID-19 infection, Abdel-Mohsen aims to determine whether pre-existing gut leakiness and chronic inflammation could increase their risk of developing Long COVID, which affects an estimated 10% to 30% of survivors.

“Many members of our Peer Review Board were intrigued by Dr. Abdel-Mohsen’s hypothesis, calling it ‘novel’ and ‘unique,’” said Campbell Foundation Executive Director Ken Rapkin. The grant continues the foundation’s longstanding support of Abdel-Mohsen’s work, which focuses on developing innovative immunotherapies for infectious diseases, particularly HIV, at The Wistar Institute.

The Campbell Foundation Awards Awards $85K Grant to Developers of HIV-Assist Mobile App

FORT LAUDERDALE – June 3, 2021 – Maunank Shah, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, has received an $85,000 grant from The Campbell Foundation to develop a mobile version of HIV-ASSIST (HIV Antiretroviral Selection Support and Interactive Search Tool). Shah co-invented the web-based platform to help healthcare providers make individualized, evidence-based decisions when selecting HIV treatment regimens. Developed over the past six years, HIV-ASSIST uses a multiple-criteria decision analysis framework to evaluate approximately 2,000 possible antiretroviral drug combinations and generate patient-specific treatment recommendations. Shah says the tool helps physicians, nurse practitioners, and other providers stay current on evolving HIV therapies, particularly as more HIV care is delivered by primary care clinicians without specialized HIV training. The planned mobile application will make HIV-ASSIST even more accessible, especially for providers working in remote or resource-limited settings. “While this grant request was out of our traditional wheelhouse, our Peer Review Board believed this project has exciting implications not only for healthcare providers, but also for those living with HIV/AIDS,” said Campbell Foundation Trustee Bill Venuti.

The Campbell Foundation Awards $90K Grant to Researchers Investigating Cardiovascular Disease in People Living with HIV

FORT LAUDERDALE, April 5, 2021 – The Campbell Foundation has awarded a $90,000 grant to Dr. Teresa H. Evering of Weill Cornell Medicine and Dr. Jonathan N. Tobin of Clinical Directors Network and The Rockefeller University to study why people living with HIV face a higher risk of cardiovascular disease than the general population. Using Healthix, the nation’s largest public health information exchange, the researchers will analyze data from 60,000 HIV-positive patients and 180,000 matched HIV-negative patients to determine whether two common inflammation markers, NLR and PLR, can help predict cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. The findings could help identify people with HIV who are at greater risk for heart disease and stroke, leading to improved screening, prevention, and treatment strategies. The Campbell Foundation’s Peer Review Board praised the project’s innovation and the strength of the research team.

The Campbell Foundation’s Annual “Holiday Hug” Grants

Help to Fund Services For Those Living With AIDS/HIV

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – Jan. 4, 2021 – Last month, The Campbell Foundation awarded 11 unrestricted “Holiday Hug” grants of $3,000 each, totaling $33,000, to HIV/AIDS service organizations across Florida. The annual program, established in 1996, helps nonprofits address their most pressing needs and continue serving individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS, particularly during the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Grant recipients included Latinos Salud in Wilton Manors and Miami, SunServe in Wilton Manors, Compass Community Center in West Palm Beach, AH Monroe in Key West, Basic NWFL in Panama City, Broward House in Fort Lauderdale, and Care Resource, which serves Miami-Dade and Fort Lauderdale. These organizations provide a wide range of services, including HIV and STD testing, mental health support, housing assistance, food security programs, and LGBTQ community services. Additional recipients were Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center, Comprehensive Care Clinic/Broward Health, both in Fort Lauderdale, FoundCare in West Palm Beach, and McGregor Clinic in Fort Myers. Through these grants, The Campbell Foundation recognized the vital role these organizations play in supporting people living with HIV/AIDS and helping ensure that essential services remained available during an especially difficult year.