Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded The Washington University a Project Grant of $777,756.00 under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to conduct the Research on End-User Acceptability and Long-Term Impacts of HIV Cure Strategies (REALISE) initiative. The award, effective June 18, 2026, through May 31, 2031, supports a multidisciplinary research program designed to inform the development and market deployment of emerging HIV cure candidates by quantifying end-user preferences and projecting population-level health impacts.

The project delivers three primary products: (1) target product profiles delineating credible cure and long-acting treatment scenarios through qualitative interviews with approximately 30 researchers and developers; (2) quantified patient-centered preference data obtained through formative interviews with 60 participants, best-worst scaling analysis with 360 respondents across multiple geographic sites, and discrete choice experiments to identify preference segments and uptake projections, including among virally unsuppressed persons with HIV; and (3) mathematical modeling outputs estimating health impact, quality-adjusted life years, and cost-effectiveness across heterogeneous populations. These deliverables are intended to address the significant gap between emerging cure science and real-world adoption, particularly among the estimated 30-40% of people with HIV in the United States who are not durably suppressed on current antiretroviral therapies.