Project Grant R01AI183455

This $1,010,290 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) will fund research at Emory University to investigate the role of alveolar macrophages as potential HIV reservoirs and drivers of residual inflammation and immune activation in people living with HIV (PLWH) on antiretroviral therapy.

The study aims to: 1) Determine the contribution of alveolar macrophages as reservoirs for persistent HIV DNA, RNA, and proteins in PLWH on antiretroviral therapy, including immunological non-responders; 2) Evaluate dysregulation of alveolar macrophage and T cell immunometabolism, phenotype, and function in the lungs of PLWH; and 3) Define the mechanisms underlying impaired alveolar macrophage and T cell responses to bacterial pathogens like Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Streptococcus pneumoniae in PLWH. The findings from this comprehensive, multidisciplinary study are expected to provide novel insights into HIV persistence in the lungs and identify new therapeutic targets to address residual inflammation and immune activation in PLWH.