{"id":107728,"date":"2019-12-12T11:27:11","date_gmt":"2019-12-12T21:27:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=107728"},"modified":"2019-12-13T13:34:52","modified_gmt":"2019-12-13T23:34:52","slug":"mitchell-to-solve-hiv-mystery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2019\/12\/12\/mitchell-to-solve-hiv-mystery\/","title":{"rendered":"Tropical medicine PhD<\/abbr> candidate hopes to solve HIV <\/abbr>mystery"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"brooks
Brooks Mitchell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A student from the University of Hawaiʻi<\/span> at M\u0101noa John A. Burns School of Medicine<\/a> (JABSOM<\/abbr>) will earn his doctorate in tropical medicine this month as he works to help solve the mystery of why the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV<\/abbr>) “rebounds” when treatment is stopped or interrupted.<\/p>\n

Brooks Mitchell<\/strong>, a Kamehameha Schools Kap\u0101lama graduate of Kamuela on Hawaiʻi<\/span> Island, has poured himself into the research. “Understanding where HIV<\/abbr> hides, and what cells are involved in its persistence, remains a topic of intense interest in the field and has become a current focus of my research,” Mitchell said. The study of viral reservoirs in HIV<\/abbr> infection is motivated by the fact that the virus is not eradicated by current treatment, although it can be reduced to undetectable levels in the blood.<\/p>\n

Mitchell, with other researchers at the Hawaiʻi<\/span> Center for AIDS<\/abbr>, is investigating which types of blood cells may harbor HIV<\/abbr> despite optimal antiretroviral therapy. He uses a method that he developed during his PhD studies to assess different types of cells isolated from HIV<\/abbr>-positive individuals who are on treatment. <\/p>\n

“I determine the number of cells that are infected and produce HIV<\/abbr>, as well as estimate the amount of HIV<\/abbr> produced by each infected cell,” he said. Mitchell believes that greater understanding of these HIV<\/abbr> reservoirs may inform targeted approaches in future curative treatments.<\/p>\n

“The opportunity to work with healthcare providers and patients has been an important experience because it is a reminder that the research being conducted should be relevant to both the investigators and, more importantly, the people living with HIV<\/abbr>.”<\/p>\n

Mitchell developed an interest in infectious diseases and immunology as an undergraduate while majoring in microbiology and working in a clinical microbiology laboratory. Some of his professors and the technical director of the lab where he worked were affiliated with JABSOM<\/abbr>\u2019s Department of Tropical Medicine<\/a>. “After talking to some of the faculty, the tropical medicine department seemed like a great fit since its curriculum focused on areas of research that I wanted to further pursue during my graduate studies.”<\/p>\n

Mitchell is expected to earn his PhD<\/abbr> in tropical medicine in fall 2019. He previously earned a BS<\/abbr> in microbiology and an MS<\/abbr> in tropical medicine from 糖心视频<\/abbr> M\u0101noa.<\/p>\n

“After my PhD<\/abbr>, I plan to continue on to receive medical training and become a physician-scientist,” added Mitchell.<\/p>\n

Read about some of Mitchell\u2019s influences and inspirations in the full story on the JABSOM<\/abbr> website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A John A. Burns School of Medicine student will earn his doctorate in tropical medicine this month as he works to help solve the mystery of why HIV<\/abbr> “rebounds” when treatment is stopped or interrupted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[993,31,1363,429,9],"class_list":["post-107728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-hivaids","tag-john-a-burns-school-of-medicine","tag-manoa-research","tag-tropical-medicine-and-medical-microbiology","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t