Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco a $874,531 Project Grant on May 11, 2026, under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to support research modeling dynamic CD8+ T cell-virus interactions in post-treatment control of HIV. The grant will fund comprehensive research examining peripheral blood samples collected before and after analytic treatment interruption (ATI) from participants in the San Francisco SCOPE cohort to mechanistically define which features of CD8+ T cell responses most strongly correlate with effective HIV control following antiretroviral therapy (ART) cessation. This research addresses a critical gap in understanding HIV-specific immune responses that could inform the development of therapeutic interventions to promote viral control and reduce dependency on lifelong ART treatment.

The project, scheduled for completion by April 30, 2031, will be conducted at UCSF's San Francisco facility and will generate scientific knowledge regarding the specific characteristics of CD8+ T cell responses that drive effective HIV suppression during viral rebound. The research outcomes are intended to establish mechanistic understanding and methodological advances that could improve treatment strategies for the approximately 1.2 million people living with HIV in the United States and support broader public health objectives in infectious disease management.