Project Grant R01HD122574

Federal Grant Award Summary

Massachusetts General Hospital's Research Management Division received a $2.07 million Project Grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865) to conduct the Supporting Health in Life Course Needs of Women with Perinatally Acquired HIV (SHINE) study. Awarded on July 10, 2026, with performance through June 30, 2029, this grant funds metabolomic analysis of plasma samples from women ages 30–40 who participated in the US-based HOPE study. The research will identify unique metabolic signatures and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk pathways in women with perinatally acquired HIV (PAHIV)—those infected at birth or in infancy—compared to women who acquired HIV later in life (NPAHIV), using an appropriate comparator group design.

The study addresses a critical gap in understanding CVD risk in the maturing HIV epidemic, where over 10,000 U.S. women born with or infected with HIV in infancy are now reaching their fourth and fifth decades of life. The research will evaluate whether women with PAHIV experience earlier or heightened CVD risk due to lifetime viral exposure, chronic immune activation, prolonged antiretroviral therapy, and earlier menopause transition. Findings from this investigation will inform health policy and clinical care practices for this understudied population, with potential implications for preventive cardiovascular interventions tailored to the unique life-course health needs of women with perinatally acquired HIV.