Sara Gianella Weibel, MD

Dr Gianella graduated from University of Zurich (Switzerland) in 2002. After completing her training in Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease in Switzerland, she moved to sunny San Diego in 2009 to work as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Center for AIDS Research (CFAR). She joined the faculty of the Department of Medicine at UCSD in 2013. Dr Gianella is a translational research virologist. She uses basic science techniques to answer clinically relevant questions. Her main research interest gravitates around the study of HIV at different levels. Current research areas range from investigating HIV transmission dynamics and interactions with co-infecting viruses, to characterizing the establishment of the latent viral reservoir, understanding sex-differences in HIV infection and investigating clinical complications related to persistent immune activation.

All articles by Sara Gianella Weibel, MD

COVID19

ACTIV-2 and Operation Warp Speed: An Interview With COVID-19 Investigator, Davey Smith, MD

Sara Gianella Weibel, MD

October 14, 2020

Davey Smith, MD, provides insight into current and future research opportunities targeting SARS-CoV-2.

HIV/AIDS Advisor

Disparities in HIV Healthcare: An Expert Perspective

Sara Gianella Weibel, MD

February 8, 2018

Dr Gianella Weibel talks with Dr El-Bassel about factors that affect HIV health disparities in the United States and how couple-based HIV interventions can be implemented to address these inequalities.

HIV/AIDS

Pausing ART to Identify Biomarkers for HIV RNA Rebound: Safety and Ethical Considerations

Sara Gianella Weibel, MD

December 12, 2017

Dr Gianella Weibel talks with Dr Li and Dr Dubé, investigators of a new study from the AIDS Clinical Trials Group, which uses an intensively monitored antiretroviral pause to identify changes in HIV reservoirs after anti-HIV medications are stopped.

HIV/AIDS

Role of the Microbiome on HIV Infection, Prevention, and Treatment

Sara Gianella Weibel, MD

November 22, 2017

The interactions between HIV, ART, human sexual behavior, and the gut microbiome are complex and sorting out these interactions will be important to design future interventions.

HIV/AIDS

HIV-Infected CD4+ T Cell Proliferation as a Crucial Mechanism of Viral Persistence

Sara Gianella Weibel, MD

July 31, 2017

The stability of the latent HIV-1 reservoir presents a challenge to virus eradication. A recent study focuses on examining this mechanism in viral persistence.

HIV/AIDS

Vaginal Microbiome May Render HIV Tenofovir Microbicide Less Effective

Sara Gianella Weibel, MD

July 6, 2017

Tenofovir gel reduced the incidence of HIV infection by 61% in women with Lactobacillus-dominant vaginal flora but only 18% in women with non-Lactobacillus bacteria, according to a new study.

HIV/AIDS

Last Gift Study: A Participant’s Perspective on End-of-Life HIV Research

Sara Gianella Weibel, MD

June 21, 2017

Dr Sara Gianella Weibel talks with Anthony B, a patient with HIV and end-stage amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and the first participant enrolled in the “Last Gift” end-of-life study, about his experience as part of this new end-of-life model to study HIV persistence.

HIV/AIDS

Last Gift Study: Community Perspective on End-of-Life HIV Research

Sara Gianella Weibel, MD

June 21, 2017

Dr Sara Gianella Weibel talks with Jeff Taylor, community activist and long-term HIV survivor, about a new end-of-life model to study HIV persistence.

HIV/AIDS

Last Gift Study: End-of-Life HIV Research

Sara Gianella Weibel, MD

June 21, 2017

Dr Sara Gianella Weibel talks with Dr Davey Smith, head of the Division of Infectious Disease at the University of California, San Diego, about a proposed new model to study HIV persistence, called the Last Gift study.

HIV/AIDS

HIV RNA Replication in Semen Occurs During Antiretroviral Therapy

Sara Gianella Weibel, MD

May 31, 2017

Study looks at the decay of HIV viral load in the genital tract by comparing the effect of different drug families on treatment-naive HIV-infected patients.

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