Gut health and HIV: how the gut barrier and microbiome affect metabolic health in HIV-positive men who have sex with men

Who could benefit from this research

What this research studies

This program studies how the gut microbiome and the intestinal barrier relate to metabolic syndrome in HIV-positive and HIV-negative men who have sex with men. It builds on prior findings showing that gut-derived inflammation and bacterial products may drive metabolic problems, and it aims to uncover the mechanisms linking barrier integrity, microbiome signals, and metabolic risk. Using samples from participants and advanced analyses, researchers will examine markers like LBP and other inflammatory and microbial indicators to understand their roles in metabolic health. The goal is to identify potential targets to improve metabolic outcomes for people living with HIV and MSM communities.

Why it matters

Where this research is happening

• University of Colorado Denver
  Aurora, United States Active

Researchers

• Principal investigator: Lozupone, Catherine — University of Colorado Denver
• Study coordinator: Lozupone, Catherine

Related research

Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.

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  A team at a major university will build an AI system that automatically curates and labels the functions of enzymes in the human gut microbiome to speed up understanding their health effects.

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• Integrated biomarker study of metabolic syndrome in pregnant women with HIV on DTG-based ART

  Researchers will look for biological signs in pregnant women with HIV on a DTG-based regimen to understand why weight gain and metabolic problems happen and how these affect pregnancy.

  NIH research Johns Hopkins University · Baltimore, United States · NIH-11593952

• Biomarker profiling to understand metabolic syndrome in pregnant women with HIV on DTG-based ART

  This project looks at why some pregnant women living with HIV on a common DTG-based therapy gain weight or develop metabolic problems, by studying their proteins and metabolites across four sites in the US and Nigeria.

  NIH research Johns Hopkins University · Baltimore, United States · NIH-11593951

• Biomarker profiling to understand metabolic syndrome in pregnant women with HIV on DTG-based therapy

  This project looks at markers in pregnant women living with HIV who are on a DTG-containing regimen to understand why some develop metabolic problems during pregnancy.

  NIH research Johns Hopkins University · Baltimore, United States · NIH-11572352

• Mapping how gut bacteria transform drugs

  Scientists will study how the gut microbiome changes thousands of drugs into new forms, which could affect how well a medicine works or whether it causes side effects.

  NIH research Stanford University · Stanford, United States · NIH-11550022

About this research

1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.