Support Pivotal Research
BRF research is funded with the generous support of patients and advocates like you.
HIV in Semen
The HIV assays used for SPAR were developed with funding from a group of couples seeking to be parents who pooled their resources.
Unlike many private clinics, and pharmaceutical companies, BRF research data is published and publicly available in peer-reviewed journals. This allows the data to be used by any researcher in the world to further our knowledge of HIV. Data about the incidence of HIV infected semen among men with an undetectable blood viral burden is ongoing, with the most recent data collected and published BRF is at the forefront of research about infectious disease as a fertility issue. The foundation routinely publishes updates about the incidence of HIV infected semen among men with an undetectable blood viral burden*. Besides providing clues about the efficacy of treatment in all compartments, the goal is to also discover the most effective therapies to eliminate HIV in semen.
Private funds have also made possible the tests for other sexually transmitted viruses, including Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Human T-Cell Leukemia Viruses I and II, Chlamydia, Cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Syphilis. CMV in semen is an emerging concern because CMV is a very common, childhood infection that establishes a life-long latent infection that can re-activate. Virus shedding into semen exposes sexual partners to a new infection.
Awards
Coming soon…
A Cure for HIV with
Stem Cell Therapy
Because of a background in both reproductive biology and decades of research in HIV, BRF’s team is uniquely qualified to pursue research creating HIV-resistant stem cells.
BRF’s stem cell research is based on evidence that people born with genetic defects in the CCR5 gene are naturally resistant to infection by HIV. In 2009, it was first reported that a patient was completely free of HIV after transplantation with bone marrow stem cells from a donor who was naturally lacking CCR5 and resistant to HIV.
BRF has two branches of study:
- Methods for eliminating CCR5 expression in stem cells. The work to date is very promising.
- Deriving patient-specific stem cells to remove the issue of “host rejection.” An ideal method to make stem cells patient-specific is to derive “parthenote stem cells” i.e. stem cells from unfertilized eggs. The work to date has already generated over a dozen groundbreaking publications.
Publications
Coming soon…
The Power Of Private Funding
94% of Donations go Directly to Research
Unlike large teaching and medical institutions, BRF has low operating costs, and a unique funding model where all revenues and information from existing laboratory tests are used to support research and the development of new tests. This model allows for 94% of donations to go directly to research.
And unlike many private laboratories and pharmaceutical companies, all of our research is published in publicly accessible, peer-reviewed journals. This allows scientists and physicians worldwide to benefit from, and build upon the work.