Problem

• One in seven people do not know they are infected (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014)

• 20 percent of people reported to have HIV/AIDS in Connecticut are unaware of their status (Torre, 2014) 

• Many people don’t know that HIV tests can be done with a simple cheek swab or finger prick (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014)

 

Solution

The gHIVe team will tip the balance of the stigma of testing against the ease of testing and the reality of support through the development of substantive digital media.

 

Problem

• At least three antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to maximally suppress the HIV virus and stop the progression of HIV disease (World Health Organization, 2015)

• These drugs prevent the growth of the virus and reducing its presence in the blood of those who are infected  (Duhaime-Ross, 2015) 

• Antiretroviral therapy (ART) can reduce the likelihood of severe illness by 44% in people starting treatment immediately (World Health Organization, 2015)

 

Solution

The gHIVe team will balance the negative mindset of death after a HIV+ diagnosis with the reality of attainable pharmaceutical advances by illustrating how antiretroviral therapy works at the molecular level.

Problem

• An AIDS vaccine in development can ramp up the body's immune system, boosting the response to medications HIV-positive patients take (Dotinga, 2015)

• A new compound has blocked HIV infection so well in monkeys that it may be able to function as a vaccine against AIDS (McNeil, 2015)

• Neutralizing antibodies can be isolated and by molecular cloning of the relevant genes copied from immune cells early on in the HIV infection, which represents the type of antibody that might be generated by an ideal vaccine  (Jones, 2015)

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Solution

The gHIVe team will balance the general fears about the HIV disease with the viability and development of potential vaccines. 

 

Problem

• One of the main drawbacks in current medical treatments is the problem of adherence (Science Daily, 2015)

• Adherence is about 70% everywhere which insufficient to block virus multiplication and transmission, continued damage to the immune system, progression to AIDS, development of drug resistance, and a 3.8 times increased risk of death” (Ensoli, 2015)

• The lifespan of the infected person depends on the patient and compliance and adherence with the treatment (Loughlin, 2015)

 

Solution

The gHIVe team will illustrate the required balance between drug adherence and overall health by showing the effects of pharmaceutical non-compliance on the molecular level.