From HPV to HIV: My Journey to Understanding Natural HIV Control

When I attended the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in 2023, I was at the beginning of an exciting new chapter in my scientific career. At the time, I had recently transitioned from researching human papillomavirus (HPV) to focusing on HIV as a PhD student in Pathobiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Looking back today, I realize how much has happened in just a few years.

I am now entering the final year of my PhD, where my research focuses on one of the most fascinating questions in HIV immunology: why can a small number of people naturally control HIV without lifelong treatment?

Under the mentorship of Prof. Susan Eshleman, I study so-called HIV controllers – rare individuals who maintain very low levels of the virus without antiretroviral therapy. Rather than looking only at immune responses after infection, I ask a different question: could part of the explanation already exist before a person becomes infected?

Most people think of HIV antibodies as something that develops only after infection. My research asks whether antibodies already present before HIV infection may shape how the immune system responds once infection occurs. Some of these antibodies may have developed after previous exposure to HIV or after infections with other pathogens that contain structures resembling parts of HIV, allowing the antibodies to cross-react. To investigate this, I analyze blood samples collected before infection and compare people who later controlled HIV naturally with those who did not.

To do this, I use high-throughput technologies such as Phage ImmunoPrecipitation Sequencing (PhIP-Seq) and Molecular Indexing of Proteins by Self-Assembly (MIPSA). These platforms allow us to examine antibody responses across a broad range of HIV antigens in remarkable detail. Ultimately, I hope this work will help identify immune signatures that could inform future vaccines or immune-based therapies aimed at controlling HIV without continuous medication.

An Evolving Scientific Journey

People often ask me why I moved from HPV research to HIV research. For me, it never felt like a complete change in direction.

My early research focused on oncogenic viruses, particularly on the question how viral infections contribute to cancer and how vaccines can prevent disease. HPV taught me how profoundly viruses can shape long-term health and sparked my fascination with immunology. It also raised broader questions that have stayed with me ever since: Why do some viral infections persist? Why do some people develop severe disease while others remain protected? And how can we harness the immune system to improve health?

Those questions naturally led me to HIV. It remains one of the world’s most important infectious diseases, and despite enormous progress in treatment, there is still no widely available cure. Understanding how HIV controllers naturally suppress the virus could reveal entirely new strategies for treatment and prevention.

Beyond my PhD project, I have continued working on other infectious disease challenges, including Long COVID, HIV genotyping, and improving diagnostics for tuberculosis and nontuberculous mycobacterial infections. These projects all reflect my broader interest in connecting laboratory science with clinical medicine and public health.

Over the past few years, I have also had the privilege of receiving research funding from The Campbell Foundation to support my work on HIV control and of being awarded the Top Prize Award for Excellence in Clinical Research by the Johns Hopkins Department of Pathology. Both were deeply meaningful milestones that reinforced my commitment to translational research.

In addition, serving on the editorial board of Communications Medicine, a Nature Portfolio journal, has given me a different perspective on science. Reviewing research and participating in editorial decisions has strengthened my appreciation for rigorous peer review, responsible scientific communication, and the importance of maintaining high research standards.

Lessons From the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed the way I think about infectious disease research.

It demonstrated how rapidly infectious diseases can transform societies and highlighted the critical importance of vaccines, diagnostics, surveillance, and international collaboration. Perhaps most importantly, it reminded me that research should never exist in isolation – it should ultimately improve patient care and address real-world public health needs.

That perspective continues to shape everything I do. Whether I am studying Long COVID, HIV or tuberculosis, I want my research to answer clinically meaningful questions. I have also become increasingly convinced of the value of longitudinal studies. Following people over time allows us to understand how immune responses evolve and why disease trajectories differ between individuals.

Looking Ahead

I believe the next major breakthroughs in HIV research will come from integrating many different types of information rather than searching for a single explanation. Viral genetics, host genetics, antibodies, T cells, inflammation, and the viral reservoir all contribute to HIV control. New technologies – from high-throughput antibody profiling to single-cell sequencing and systems immunology – are making it possible to understand how these factors work together.

My immediate goal is to complete my PhD and publish the major findings from my dissertation. In the longer term, I hope to build a career as a physician-scientist working at the interface of clinical microbiology, infectious disease diagnostics, immunology, and global health. I want to continue bridging laboratory research and patient care, ensuring that the scientific questions I pursue remain grounded in real clinical challenges.

Lindau Connections that Continue to Grow

One of the most rewarding outcomes of attending the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting was the lasting connection to the people I met there.

I have remained in contact with several fellow participants from Singapore, Lebanon, and the United Kingdom. Some of these conversations have even grown into scientific collaborations. Together with fellow Lindau Alumnus Dr. Po-Ying Chia from Singapore, I recently co-authored a book chapter on endemic mycoses in Southeast Asia. I also reconnected with another Alumnus, Dr. Wee Soon Keong, during the 2026 American Society for Microbiology Meeting in Washington, D.C., before he later visited me at Johns Hopkins.

These experiences remind me that Lindau was far more than a week of inspiring lectures. It was the beginning of lasting collaborations, friendships, and an international scientific network.

As someone who grew up in the Philippines and is now pursuing research in the United States, I value these global connections enormously. Looking back, one of the most important lessons I took home from Lindau is that science is both deeply personal and profoundly collaborative. That is something I continue to carry with me every day as I move forward in my career.