Heart scarring and fat changes in women with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa
Official title: Myocardial Fibrosis and Steatosis Burden and Region-Specific Predictors of Progression among ART-treated Women with HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa (The MUTIMA Study)
Funded at University of Washington · NIH-11092210 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses advanced heart imaging to look for scarring and fat build-up in women on HIV treatment in sub-Saharan Africa to understand what raises their risk of heart failure.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Washington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | August 7, 2023 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $260,998 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL167645-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11092210 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are women with HIV who are on antiretroviral therapy and live in or can access participating sites in sub-Saharan Africa.
✕Less likely to help
People without HIV, men, or women not on ART or who cannot access study sites in sub-Saharan Africa are unlikely to be eligible or directly benefit from this project.
What this research studies
If you join, you would be a woman living with HIV and on antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa who may have detailed heart imaging done. Researchers will use cardiac MRI and spectroscopy to measure diffuse fibrosis, focal scar, and fat inside the heart muscle at baseline and over time. They will also collect blood tests and health information about inflammation, body size, and reproductive aging to see which factors link to worsening heart tissue changes. The goal is to find signals that identify women at higher risk for heart failure and sudden cardiac death so care can be targeted earlier.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify women with HIV who are at higher risk for heart failure earlier and guide prevention or monitoring efforts.
How similar studies have gone: Cardiac MRI has previously linked myocardial fibrosis and steatosis with heart dysfunction in people with HIV, but this approach has not been well studied specifically in ART-treated women in sub-Saharan Africa.
Where this research is happening
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University of Washington
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Longenecker, Chris Todd — University of Washington
- Study coordinator: Longenecker, Chris Todd
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Myocardial fibrosis and fat in ART-treated women with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa
This project studies heart tissue changes in women with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa who are on antiretroviral therapy, to understand why they’re at higher risk for heart problems as they age.
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Myocardial fibrosis and fat in ART-treated women with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa
This grant studies heart tissue changes in women living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa to understand why heart failure risk is higher in this group.
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Heart and liver of the heart: understanding heart damage in HIV-positive women in Africa
This study will look at heart damage and fat buildup in the hearts of women with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa to understand what predicts progression.
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Heart scarring and fat in women with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa
This project uses advanced heart imaging to look for scarring and fat inside the hearts of women living with HIV on treatment in sub‑Saharan Africa.
-
Heart scarring and fat buildup in women living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa
This project looks at heart scarring and fat in women on HIV treatment in sub‑Saharan Africa to find early signs that lead to heart failure.
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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.
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.