Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill received a $427,625 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 June 15, 2026, with completion anticipated by May 31, 2028. The award supports research aimed at identifying immune signatures associated with HIV reservoir characteristics and clonal expansion in people with HIV (PWH) on antiretroviral therapy (ART). The research will employ single-cell transcriptomic and proteomic analysis across a cohort of 125 ART-suppressed PWH with well-characterized HIV reservoirs to comprehensively define the relationship between immune system function and HIV reservoir persistence, while quantifying reservoir clonality and defining immune signatures associated with infected cell expansion.

The deliverables from this research initiative include detailed correlational analyses linking transcriptomic and proteomic immune signatures with key HIV reservoir characteristics, including size, transcriptional activity, and clonal expansion patterns. These findings are intended to identify molecular pathways contributing to reservoir-immune system crosstalk that could potentially be targeted therapeutically to limit both HIV reservoir persistence and associated pathology in PWH on long-term ART. The research addresses a critical gap in understanding chronic immune dysfunction observed in virally suppressed individuals, despite effective antiretroviral treatment.