Helping T-cells fight HIV by changing metabolism
Official title: Project-003
Funded at University of California at Davis · NIH-11530382 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether changing immune cell metabolism can help people with HIV develop vaccine-driven T-cell responses that keep the virus controlled after stopping treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California at Davis NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Davis, United States) |
| Project start | May 22, 2023 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $583,993 |
| NIH project number | 5P01AI178375-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11530382 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults living with HIV who are on antiretroviral therapy and are eligible for therapeutic vaccine trials or analytic treatment-interruption studies would be the most likely candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without HIV or those not eligible for therapeutic vaccine or treatment-interruption protocols would not directly benefit from this work.
What this research studies
Researchers will analyze blood samples from people who received therapeutic HIV vaccines and from vaccinated non-human primates to find metabolic patterns linked to better T-cell responses. They will measure metabolites in plasma, read gene activity with RNA sequencing, and use SCENITH to profile T-cell metabolic states. The team will link those metabolic signatures to whether the virus stays controlled during planned treatment interruptions. They will also test in laboratory models whether manipulating amino-acid sensing and other metabolic pathways can steer T cells toward more durable, broadly reactive responses.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to vaccine or metabolic-adjuvant approaches that help people with HIV control the virus without continuous antiretroviral therapy.
How similar studies have gone: Prior animal and early human studies suggest immune metabolism shapes T-cell responses, but applying metabolic manipulation to reliably control HIV after stopping treatment remains largely unproven.
Where this research is happening
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University of California at Davis
Davis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hartigan-O'connor, Dennis J. — University of California at Davis
- Study coordinator: Hartigan-O'connor, Dennis J.
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.