Gut microbes and blood markers linked to heart and blood vessel problems in people with HIV
Official title: Multi-omic signatures of gut dysbiosis and cardiovascular comorbidities associated with HIV infection
Funded at Albert Einstein College of Medicine · NIH-11089534 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks for patterns in gut microbes and blood-based markers that relate to heart and blood vessel problems in people living with HIV.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Albert Einstein College of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Bronx, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $705,769 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL170904-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11089534 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults enrolled in the MWCCS (formerly WIHS and MACS), especially people living with HIV who can provide stool and blood samples and undergo carotid ultrasound and echocardiography.
✕Less likely to help
People not enrolled at a participating MWCCS site, unwilling to provide biological samples or undergo imaging, or those without relevant cardiovascular risk factors may not be eligible and are unlikely to receive direct benefit.
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will analyze stool and blood from up to 2,000 participants (about 65% living with HIV) enrolled in the MWCCS to look for microbial and molecular patterns. They will use metagenomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics to measure gut bacteria, host immune signals, and metabolites and link these data to carotid ultrasound and heart echocardiogram results. Heart and vessel measures include carotid plaque, arterial stiffness, and several measures of left ventricular function and strain. The team aims to find shared biological signatures that help explain higher rates of atherosclerosis and heart dysfunction in people with HIV.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify biomarkers that help detect or prevent heart and blood vessel disease in people living with HIV.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier analyses in the WIHS cohort have linked specific gut bacteria and immune/metabolic markers to carotid atherosclerosis, but applying broad multi-omics across a larger, mixed-sex cohort and multiple cardiac measures is a newer and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Bronx, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Qi, Qibin — Albert Einstein College of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Qi, Qibin
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Gut-disease signals linked to HIV and heart disease
This project will look at how gut bacteria and related molecules are connected to heart and blood vessel problems in people living with HIV.
-
Understanding how genetic changes in blood cells relate to heart disease in people with HIV
A study will look at how age-related blood cell mutations and large chromosomal changes might contribute to heart disease risk in people living with HIV.
-
Microbial Dysbiosis and Its Role in Pancreatic Cancer
A doctor-researcher team at Northwestern University is studying how gut bacteria influence pancreatic cancer and its response to immunotherapy to find new ways to help patients.
-
From Symbiosis to Dysbiosis: How Resolving Inflammation Could Restore Your Mouth’s Balance
This grant explores how turning off the harmful inflammation in periodontitis and promoting natural healing could help restore the mouth’s healthy balance.
-
Cardiac health and protein markers in kids with perinatal HIV exposure or infection
A study from Duke aims to understand heart health and protein biomarkers in children who were exposed to or infected with HIV at birth, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
-
Antibiotics, gut health, and skin reactions in kids
A small study in children will look at whether antibiotic use and gut bacteria play a role in hives and related symptoms that children sometimes get after antibiotics.
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.