Artesunate to help women with HIV clear HPV and prevent recurrent cervical precancer
Feasibility of artesunate to improve HPV and cervical precancer treatment outcomes among HIV positive women in LMICs
Tests if the drug artesunate helps women living with HIV clear HPV and stop precancerous cervical lesions from coming 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-11405929 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be offered a short course of artesunate around the time of your cervical precancer treatment to see if it helps clear HPV and reduce recurrence. The team will collect HPV tests and clinical exams over follow-up visits to track healing and any return of precancerous changes. This project builds on U.S. trials suggesting artesunate is safe and may work for HPV-related anogenital lesions, and focuses on whether the approach is feasible and promising in low- and middle-income country settings where most women with HIV live. Participation would involve clinic visits, sample collection, and regular monitoring after your ablative or excisional treatment.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Women living with HIV who have HPV-related cervical precancer (for example CIN2/3) and are receiving ablative or excisional treatment, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
Not a fit: Women without HIV, without HPV-related cervical precancer, or those not undergoing ablative/excisional treatment are unlikely to benefit from this specific approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could raise HPV clearance rates and lower the chance that precancerous cervical lesions come back for women living with HIV.
How similar studies have performed: Early U.S.-based trials indicate artesunate is likely safe and shows possible benefit for HPV-related anogenital lesions, but larger and more diverse studies are still needed.
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.