Artesunate to help clear HPV and lower cervical precancer returning in women with HIV in low- and middle-income countries
Feasibility of artesunate to improve HPV and cervical precancer treatment outcomes among HIV positive women in LMICs
This project sees whether a short course of the drug artesunate can help women with HIV in low- and middle-income countries clear HPV and lower the chance that cervical precancer comes back after treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11405928 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you are a woman living with HIV and treated for cervical precancer in a low- or middle-income country, you may be offered a short course of the drug artesunate after your standard treatment. The researchers will follow you over time with HPV tests and exams to see whether the drug helps clear HPV and prevents precancer from returning, while also watching for side effects and how acceptable the treatment is. The study builds on U.S. trials that found artesunate to be safe for similar HPV-related lesions and aims to show whether this approach is practical and helpful where follow-up is limited.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are women living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries who have HPV-related cervical precancer and are receiving ablative or excisional treatment.
Not a fit: Women without HIV, without HPV-related cervical lesions, or those already fully cured after treatment are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help more women with HIV clear HPV after treatment and reduce the chance that cervical precancer comes back, lowering cervical cancer risk in LMICs.
How similar studies have performed: Early U.S.-based trials reported that artesunate appears safe and showed possible benefits for HPV-associated anogenital lesions, but using it to reduce post-treatment failures in women with HIV in LMICs is largely untested.
Where this research is happening
Chapel Hill, United States
- Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill — Chapel Hill, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mungo, Chemtai — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Mungo, Chemtai
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.