New NIH Funding
NIH Award to DC D-CFAR Investigator - Mimi Ghosh Ph.D.
Anti-HIV Activity in Genital Tract Secretions of Postmenopausal Women, 1R03AI102837-01
DC D-CFAR Principal Investigator: Mimi Ghosh Ph.D
Institute: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Project Focus: Heterosexual transmission is now the predominant source of new HIV infections and the number of infections in women is on the rise. In developed countries, the effectiveness of HAART therapy has allowed HIV-positive men and women to live longer. It has been predicted that by 2015, approximately 50% of people in the USA living with HIV will be above 50 years old. This will result in a massive increase in health care costs in order to provide for antiretroviral drugs as well as to manage the multitude of adverse effects that occur with long-term usage of these drugs. Although it is known that aging results in loss of sex hormones and reduction of certain immune functions, there remains a major gap in our understanding regarding the extent of loss of innate immune functions in the female reproductive tract (FRT). As multiple innate immune factors of the FRT are hormone-responsive, the loss of estrogen (and/or progesterone) with aging can result in a loss of protective mechanisms that make women more susceptible to sexually transmitted infections, such as HIV. In case of HIV-positive women, this can result in an increased probability of sexually transmitting HIV to a non-infected partner. Our proposal will examine the hypothesis that significant changes occur in the reproductive tract of postmenopausal women resulting in an increased susceptibility to acquiring sexually transmitted HIV. Specifically we will determine the levels of protective endogenous anti-HIV factors (SLPI, Elafin, MIP3a/CCL20 and human beta defensin 2 (HBD2)) in genital tract secretions of pre- and postmenopausal women and correlate these values with anti-HIV activity in the same secretions. We will also examine the biological activity of the endogenous anti-HIV factors by correlating with the levels of proteases known as Cathepsins (specifically B, D, and G) that are known to activate/deactivate the aforementioned anti-HIV factors. The proposed adds a new dimension to a grossly under-studied area of HIV research and will provide us with a unique outlook on susceptibility of postmenopausal women to sexually transmitted HIV. The outcomes will be significant because the data from this study can be used to develop therapeutic interventions specifically designed to boost genital tract immunity in older women.
NIH Award to DC D-CFAR Investigator - Monica Ruiz Ph.D., M.P.H.
Impact Evaluation of a Policy Intervention for HIV Prevention in Washington DC, 1R01DA031649-01A1
DC D-CFAR Principal Investigator: Monica Ruiz Ph.D., M.P.H.
Institute: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Project Focus: The District of Columbia is in the midst of a significant HIV/AIDS epidemic; approximately 3% of District of Columbia residents over the age of 12 years are living with HIV/AIDS. Injection drug use (IDU) accounts for 18% of the living cases of HIV/AIDS in the District. The scientific community has focused increased attention on the need for HIV prevention interventions that can better address the social and structural drivers of HIV risk than would be possible with individual-level interventions. Syringe exchange programs are a perfect example of a proven- effective, structural intervention that could have a tremendous impact on reducing HIV risk for injection drug users. For approximately a decade, Federal policy prohibited the District of Columbia from using its own municipal revenue to support syringe exchange programs; this policy changed with the passage by Congress of HR 2764, "The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008". The proposed project will conduct an evaluation of changes in syringe exchange funding policy (HR 2764 in 2007 and HR 3288 in 2009) to determine their impact on access to sterile injection equipment, linkage to HIV testing, HIV treatment, and addiction treatment, and the number of HIV infections attributable to injection drug use in Washington, DC. This project will also conduct a policy analysis comparing the syringe exchange policy experience of Washington, DC, and two other Northeastern cities - Baltimore, MD, and Philadelphia, PA -- that required changes in local policy before funding could be used to support syringe exchange activities in order to determine how these changes in policy may have affected HIV prevention efforts targeting injection drug using populations. By examining the impact of these naturally occurring policy interventions and modeling the prospective epidemiological trend in HIV infections among IDU, this project will provide evidence of the public health impact that has resulted from these policy changes in Washington, DC.
NIH Award to DC D-CFAR Investigator - Dr. Z. Jennifer Huang
Sexual Health Among Low-Income Female CSWS in China
DC D-CFAR Principal Investigator: Zhihuan Jennifer Huang, MB, Ph.D, M.P.H.
Institute: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development
Project Focus: The study aims to characterize the sexual health, peer social networks, and social/cognitive associates of sexual health among migrant and non-migrant female Street Walkers (SW) in Shanghai, China. Shanghai is China's largest cargo port and a major metropolitan area. It has 5 million rural-to-urban migrant population and the highest sexually transmitted infection (STI) incidence rate in China. "Street walkers"(SW), who are at the bottom of the sex work hierarchy, were reported to be older, less educated, lower-paid, and less likely to use protection in sexual transactions compared to sex worker from other venues in our pilot study. They are also acknowledged by researchers and public health agencies to be extremely difficult to reach. Little is known about their sexual health and how they associated with the nature of their work. Interventions must be developed to target this high-risk population. Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS) will be used for the first time to recruit female street walkers in China (200 migrants vs. 100 non-migrants). The primary goal of this 2-year study is to characterize the sexual health, peer social networks, and cognitive and social associates of sexual health among migrant and non-migrant female Street Walkers (SW) in Shanghai, China. The findings from this study will be used to guide the development of a future longitudinal sexual health risk reduction study targeting street walkers.
NIH Award to DC D-CFAR Investigator - Dr. Michael Bukrinsky
HIV Disease and Impairment of High Density Lipoprotein Metabolism
DC D-CFAR Principal Investigator: Michael Bukrinsky, M.D., Ph.D.
Institute: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Project Focus: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) contributes substantially to the overall morbidity of HIV-infected individuals. Factors that epidemiologically and prospectively are the strongest predictors of atherosclerosis are dyslipidemia and impairmen of intracellular cholesterol metabolism. Dyslipidemia in HIV-infected patients has been attributed mainly to antiretroviral drugs, in particular protease inhibitors, but specific mechanisms responsible for dyslipidemia have not been fully characterized. Even less is known about changes in lipid metabolism induced by HIV infection itself. In this application we propose a prospective study with HIV-infected patients to characterize changes in metabolism and functionality of High Density Lipoprotein (HDL), the key anti-atherogenic lipoprotein in the blood, associated with HIV-1 infection and anti-retroviral drugs. We will also correlate these changes with the surrogate measures of progression of atherosclerosis in these patients. Studies in vitro will address the mechanism of HIV-mediated effect on HDL.
NIH Award to DC D-CFAR Investigator - Dr. Irene Kuo
CARE Corrections: Technology for Jail HIV/HCV Testing, Linkage, and Care (TLC), 1R01DA030747-01
DC D-CFAR Principal Investigator: Irene Kuo, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Institute: National Institute On Drug Abuse
Project Focus: This research will adapt and evaluate technology-based tools to facilitate rapid HIV and hepatitis C testing, primary and secondary prevention counseling, and adherence to HIV treatment for jailed populations in Providence RI and Washington DC. This innovative research will use computerized counseling and tailored text messaging to expand testing, prevention, and treatment in both low- and high-HIV prevalence jail settings, addressing essential components of the Seek, Test, and Treat strategy among criminal justice populations.
NIH Award to DC D-CFAR Investigator - Dr. Mak I. Tong
Cardioprotective Efficacy of Mg-Supplementation during HAART Therapy, 1R21NR012649-01
Principal Investigator: Ivan Tong Mak, Ph.D.
Institute: National Institute of Nursing Research
Project Focus: The use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) agents may cause systemic and adverse cardiovascular side effects. The proposed project employs both in vitro endothelial cells and an in vivo rat model to determine the oxidative stress, metabolic disturbances (glucose intolerance, hyperlipidemia), and eventual cardiac dysfunction caused by selected HAART agents (tenofovir, efavirenz, ritonavir) and the potential beneficial effects of Mg-supplementation.
NIH Award to DC D-CFAR Investigator - Dr. Maureen Lyon
Longitudinal Pediatric Palliative Care: Quality of Life & Spiritual Struggle, 1R01NR012711-01
Principal Investigator: Maureen E. Lyon, Ph. D.
Institute: National Institute of Nursing Research
Project Focus: To advance palliative care with children and their families aimed at relieving suffering (psychological, spiritual, physical) and maximizing quality of life. We will build on our R34, evidence based model, FAmily CEntered (FACE) Advance Care Planning intervention to test our full theoretical model, examining quality of life and spiritual struggle
NIH Award to DC D-CFAR Investigator - Dr. Steven Zeichner
Identification of Antigens for Anti-HIV Broadly Neutralizing Responses, 1R01AI090571-01
Principal Investigator(s): Steven Zeichner, M.D., Ph.D., and Claire M Fraser-Liggett, Ph.D.
Institute: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Project Focus: To contribute to HIV vaccinology research, the project proposes to identify an MPER-scaffolding protein chimera capable of eliciting a BN immune response by using the GI mucosal immune system as a massively parallel in vivo screening device.
HIV Microbicides and the Vaginal Microbiome, 4R33AI079798-03
Principal Investigator(s): Steven Zeichner, M.D., Ph.D., and Jacques Ravel, Ph.D.
Institute: National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research
Project Focus: To determine whether microbicide application is associated with vaginal microbiome changes that could enhance HIV transmission.
Metagenomic Evaluation of the Oral Flora of Pediatric HIV Patients, 1R56DE021570-01
Principal Investigator(s): Steven Zeichner, M.D., Ph.D., and Claire M Fraser-Liggett, Ph.D.
Institute: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Project Focus: To understand the causes of the oral complications of HIV by using newly developed molecular techniques that do not require conventional microbiologic culture and that this understanding will help us devise new treatments for the oral complications of HIV infection.