Public & International Affairs

Grant Detail

This is a chronological listing of grants held by this department, with the most recent listed first. New grants appear in this list weekly and contribute related to the department's Research Profile. The source of grants for this application comes directly from your institution.

CNS Immune/Inflammatory Biomarkers in HIV Controllers

Kevin Robertson

HIV Controllers are defined as individuals who control plasma HIV RNA levels to 2,000 copies or below for many years in the absence of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Our previous work revealed that many Controllers have unusually strong, polyfunctional HIV-specific CD8+ T-cell responses at tissue sites of viral replication, such as the gastrointestinal mucosa. Despite their ability to contain viral replication, these individuals form a heterogeneous group, at least some of whom ultimately progress to CD4 decline and AIDSdefining illnesses. In preliminary studies, HIV Controllers had significantly higher CSF viral loads than HIV+ patients on HAART with suppressed viremia (P 10,000 vRNA copies/mL; HAART-suppressed individuals with VL <50 copies/mL; HIV negative controls). In Specific Aim 2, we will examine the relationship between the parameters assessed in Aim 1 and biomarkers of inflammation/immune activation, neurological damage, and clinical status in the same subject groups. The studies in this proposal will determine the extent of CNS involvement in HIV Controllers, and investigate the immunological mechanisms underlying control of local CNS infection in the absence of HAART. Identification of correlates of immune control in the CNS in this unique group of subjects may facilitate the development of therapies that can mitigate or arrest the injurious effects of HIV in the CNS in all HIV-infected subjects