Faster detection and connection to care for people with HIV who develop Kaposi sarcoma in East Africa
Official title: Project 2: Rapid Case Ascertainment as a Tool for Epidemiologic Investigation and Efficient Linkage to Care in HIV-infected Patients Diagnosed with Kaposi Sarcoma in East Africa
Funded at University of California, San Francisco · NIH-11416376 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project aims to speed up finding people with HIV diagnosed with Kaposi sarcoma in East Africa and help them get linked to care more quickly.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | July 13, 2020 |
| Project end | June 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $23,375 |
| NIH project number | 3U54CA254571-06S2 |
| Project ID | NIH-11416376 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People living with HIV in participating East African sites who are newly diagnosed with Kaposi sarcoma or have recent symptoms suggestive of KS are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without Kaposi sarcoma, those outside the participating East African regions, or individuals already well connected to HIV and cancer care are unlikely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
Researchers will set up systems to find people like me who have HIV and are newly diagnosed with Kaposi sarcoma by checking clinic records, lab and pathology reports, and doing community outreach. When someone is identified, the team will try to connect them quickly to HIV and cancer services and follow their health and treatment progress. The project partners with local clinics, hospitals, laboratories, and community health workers across East Africa to reach patients where they live. The information collected will be used to improve how quickly people get diagnosed and started on care in my community.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help people with HIV and Kaposi sarcoma start appropriate cancer and HIV treatment sooner, potentially improving health and survival.
How similar studies have gone: Similar rapid case-finding and linkage-to-care approaches have improved diagnosis and treatment uptake in other infectious disease and cancer programs, though applying this approach specifically to Kaposi sarcoma in East Africa is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
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University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Byakwaga, Helen — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Byakwaga, Helen
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Precision 3D Imaging to Monitor Kaposi Sarcoma (KS) with SkinScan3D
A new portable 3D imaging tool called SkinScan3D will help doctors measure KS skin lesions more accurately and quickly, especially in people living with HIV.
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Precision 3D Imaging to Track Kaposi Sarcoma (KS) with SkinScan3D
A new 3D imaging tool called SkinScan3D helps doctors monitor Kaposi sarcoma lesions more accurately and quickly, especially in settings with high KS burden like East Africa and in U.S. clinics with HIV patients.
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Kaposi Sarcoma care and research in Africa during ART era
A collaborative program to better understand and improve diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of Kaposi sarcoma for people living with HIV in Zambia and Tanzania.
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Kaposi Sarcoma in Africa: ART Era Research Network
A collaborative program in Africa and the United States will study Kaposi sarcoma in people living with HIV on ART to improve diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
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Kaposi Sarcoma in Africa in the ART Era
This grant supports research to improve how Kaposi sarcoma is detected, treated, and understood in people living with HIV in Zambia and Tanzania during ART, with collaboration between African hospitals and a U.S. center.
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Rapid case finding to connect people with HIV and Kaposi sarcoma to care in East Africa
This project works to find people with HIV who develop Kaposi sarcoma more quickly and help them get into medical care sooner.
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.