Early-life influences on heart and metabolic health in South African children exposed to HIV
Official title: Early life determinants of cardiometabolic health from birth to adolescence amongst HIV-exposed and unexposed South African children
Funded at Hartford Hospital · NIH-11394077 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project follows children born in South Africa—some exposed to HIV but uninfected and some not exposed—to see how early infections and immune changes shape inflammation and metabolism up to early adolescence.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Hartford Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Hartford, United States) |
| Project start | August 18, 2022 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $39,668 |
| NIH project number | 3R01HD108048-04S2 |
| Project ID | NIH-11394077 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are children enrolled from birth in the Drakenstein Child Health Study, including both HIV-exposed uninfected and HIV-unexposed participants followed into early adolescence.
✕Less likely to help
Children who were not part of the birth cohort, adults, or people living outside the study region would not directly participate or benefit from this specific project.
What this research studies
You or your child would be part of a long-term follow-up from birth into the early teen years using the Drakenstein Child Health Study in South Africa. The researchers compare children who were exposed to HIV before birth but are uninfected (HEU) with those never exposed (HU). They measure infections, inflammatory markers, and a panel of about 250 metabolites at multiple ages to track metabolic changes over time. The team links these biological patterns to early signs of heart and metabolic risk in adolescence.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could reveal early infection or inflammation markers that predict later heart and metabolic problems and suggest targets for prevention in exposed children.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies, including work from this team, have linked early infections and inflammation to metabolic changes in childhood, but following HEU children into early adolescence is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Hartford Hospital
Hartford, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pellowski, Jennifer Ann — Hartford Hospital
- Study coordinator: Pellowski, Jennifer Ann
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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.