Interdisciplinarity in HIV prevention research: the experience of the PrEP1519 study protocol among adolescent MSM and TGW in Brazil

At the end of 2017, Brazil adopted HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as part of a combination prevention strategy for the most at-risk populations. However, Brazil does not have specific guidelines for PrEP use among adoles-cents aged < 18 years. Therefore, researchers from different health disciplines conducted PrEP1519, the first PrEP demonstration cohort study, ongoing in three Brazilian cities - Salvador, Belo Horizonte, and Sao Paulo - among adolescent men who have sex with men and transgender women, aged 15-19 years. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of PrEP in real-world set-tings. Quantitative and qualitative methods were integrated to obtain data on PrEP acceptability, uptake, use, and adherence. Moreover, comprehensive ser-vices and friendly environments were implemented in the PrEP1519 clinics. This study aims to describe the collaborative efforts of interdisciplinary prac-tices in the development of the PrEP1519 study. The articulation of research-ers from different institutions and areas is challenging; but it also allows for a broader outlook on questions regarding the direction of the research, while enriching the decisions needed to be taken during the interactions and negoti-ations among the different individuals, including the youth team and partici-pants. Furthermore, it reflects on the communication process between cultures and languages considering the trans-epistemic arena of knowledge production about HIV, sexually transmitted infections, PrEP, and other combination pre-vention strategies for adolescents.