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URL:https://lectures.london/imperial-college/cracking-the-code-targeting-h
 tlv-integration-to-eradicate-infection/calender.ics
NAME:Lectures London
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DTSTAMP:20261030T115216
DTSTART:20261104T173000
DTEND:20261104T183000
SUMMARY:Cracking the code: targeting HTLV integration to eradicate infecti
 on
LOCATION:Imperial College: Lecture theatre G16\, Sir Alexander Fleming Bui
 lding
DESCRIPTION:Join Professor Goedele Maertens\, Professor of Retrovirology\,
  to discover how existing HIV drugs could help prevent the transmission of
  one of the world’s most neglected viruses. \nPlease register to attend 
 in person. A live stream link for online attendance is available here. \n
 We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday 4 November!\nImperial Inaugural
 s are term-time lectures that celebrate our newest professors\, recognis
 ing their academic journey and showcasing their research.\nAbstract\nHTLV 
 (Human T-cell Lymphotropic Virus) infects an estimated 10 million people 
 worldwide\, yet remains one of the world’s most neglected human viruse
 s. Although it was the first retrovirus ever discovered\, it has long been
  overshadowed by its better-known relative\, HIV. Like HIV\, HTLV is a ret
 rovirus\, meaning it integrates its genetic material into the DNA of infec
 ted cells. As a result\, the virus persists for life\, with every daughter
  cell carrying the viral genome and the potential to produce new virus par
 ticles.  People living with HTLV may develop a range of severe\, debilit
 ating\, and sometimes life-threatening diseases. The infection is also ass
 ociated with significant stigma\, disproportionately affects women\, and c
 an profoundly impact patients’ social\, emotional\, and economic well-
 being. Despite its global burden\, the HTLV community continues to face ma
 jor challenges\, including limited awareness among healthcare professional
 s and the public\, inadequate access to affordable and reliable diagnostic
  tests\, and the absence of effective antiviral therapies or preventive va
 ccines.  For the past 15 years\, Professor Goedele Maertens has dedicate
 d her research to understanding how HTLV interacts with its human host. He
 r laboratory combines proteomics\, molecular virology\, microscopy\, and s
 tructural biology to investigate the mechanisms underpinning infection and
  persistence. Through this multidisciplinary approach\, her team has demo
 nstrated that FDA-approved antiretroviral drugs currently used to treat p
 eople living with HIV can prevent HTLV transmission in laboratory models.
   Building on these findings\, Professor Maertens\, together with Dr Fab
 iola Martin and with the support of the International Retrovirology Associ
 ation (IRVA)\, established the HTLV-1 Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Wo
 rking Group. The group’s mission is to develop guidelines for clinical t
 rials that will evaluate the effectiveness of antiretroviral drugs in prev
 enting HTLV-1 transmission in vivo.  In this inaugural lecture\, Profess
 or Maertens will reflect on her personal and academic journey\, highlighti
 ng the discoveries that have shaped her career and her ongoing efforts to 
 understand the mechanisms of HTLV integration and develop strategies to pr
 event viral transmission. \nBiography\nGoedele Maertens is a Professor in
  Retrovirology in the Department of Infectious Disease at Imperial College
  London\, focusing on the interaction between Human T-cell lymphotropic vi
 rus (HTLV) and the host. HTLV-1 causes a range of debilitating and sometim
 es fatal diseases. In this lecture she will explore how HTLV establishes i
 nfection and how repurposing available HIV drugs could be a promising tool
  towards eliminating HTLV.
URL;VALUE=URI:https://www.imperial.ac.uk/events/212264/cracking-the-code-t
 argeting-htlv-integration-to-eradicate-infection/
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