Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) awarded The Johns Hopkins University a $865,823 Project Grant effective June 15, 2026, through March 31, 2031, under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279). The award supports research investigating immune mechanisms impacting blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity in people who inject drugs (PWID) with and without HIV infection. The research team will conduct mechanistic studies examining how HIV in the context of injection drug use history causes persistent BBB breakdown, with particular focus on the role of circulating proinflammatory analytes, endothelial integrity, and intermediate monocytes harboring HIV proviral DNA. The study leverages a multidisciplinary team with expertise in cognitive neuroscience, neuroimmunology, HIV, and substance use, utilizing phenotypically well-defined participants from the AIDS Linked to Intravenous Experience (ALIVE) cohort, one of the largest ongoing injection drug use cohorts.

The research directly addresses the elevated cognitive impairment risk in PWID populations, who are 22 times more likely to acquire HIV than the general population. By defining the neuroimmune-BBB mechanisms linking HIV and injection drug use to cognitive complications, the project aims to inform new intervention strategies and contribute foundational knowledge to mitigate cognitive complications in this vulnerable population. Research and administrative activities will be conducted at Johns Hopkins' Baltimore, Maryland facility.