Epigenetic controls of KSHV latency in AIDS-related cancers
Official title: Epigenetic Regulation of KSHV Latency
Funded at Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis · NIH-11361163 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aiming to understand how a herpesvirus keeps a deadly infection dormant in tumor cells of people with HIV, to uncover new ways to treat AIDS-related cancers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Little Rock, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2025 |
| Project end | March 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $613,469 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DE035025-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11361163 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with HIV/AIDS and KSHV-associated cancers, such as Kaposi’s sarcoma, could benefit from future therapies arising from this work.
✕Less likely to help
The immediate work is laboratory-based; current patients will not undergo new procedures during this grant.
What this research studies
If you have HIV-associated cancers linked to a herpesvirus, this project studies how the virus hides in a latent state and what switches it back on. Researchers will map the 3-D structure of the viral genome and use advanced CRISPR tools to identify key RNA elements that keep the virus dormant. Findings could reveal new targets to disrupt latency and prevent tumor growth in Kaposi’s sarcoma and related cancers. The work focuses on human disease biology and may lead to novel therapies that help people living with HIV. The study is performed in a lab setting but directly tied to conditions that affect patients with AIDS.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Insights from this research could lead to treatments that reduce tumor growth and progression in AIDS-related cancers.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has shown latency-lytic balance is driven by genome architecture and specific RNA elements, supporting potential payoff from this approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis
Little Rock, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Manzano, Mark — Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis
- Study coordinator: Manzano, Mark
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.