Federal Grant Award Summary

New York University School of Medicine received a $841,719 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), effective April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2031. The research initiative addresses HIV treatment monitoring by developing low-cost rapid antibody-based tests to complement polymerase chain reaction (PCR) viral load testing. The project consolidates quantitative antibody data across 13 assays and 17 longitudinal HIV treatment cohorts spanning 10 countries and all major HIV subtypes, then develops regression-based and mechanistic viral dynamics models to predict antibody trajectories and their determinants.

The deliverables include validation testing of the most promising low-cost antibody assays on four long-term treatment cohorts with individuals on therapy for more than 10 years, spanning diverse HIV acquisition modalities and viral subtypes. The research produces formal performance characteristic analyses using receiver operating characteristic curves to evaluate assay effectiveness in detecting viral rebound over various retrospective time windows, both individually and in combination. This work aims to provide clinicians with accessible tools for retrospective detection of unobserved between-visit viral rebounds that could lead to HIV transmission and adverse health outcomes, offering an extended monitoring perspective beyond traditional point-in-time PCR testing.