Helping young people with HIV keep their viral load suppressed
Strategies to Achieve Viral Suppression for Youth with HIV (The SAVVY Study)
This project tests youth-focused clinic services and alternative treatments like long-acting injectable HIV medicine to help adolescents and young adults (ages 12–30) stay on treatment and keep their virus suppressed.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11091618 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be seen at clinics organized to be youth-friendly and offered treatment options that reduce the need for daily pills, such as long-acting injectable ART, along with adherence supports. The team will follow adolescents and young adults (12–30 years) over time to track medication adherence and viral load. Eligible participants may be offered switches in medication strategy when appropriate and will be asked to share their experiences to shape care options. The work combines clinic-level changes, medication strategies, and patient feedback to help more young people maintain viral suppression.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adolescents and young adults with HIV, roughly 12–30 years old, who receive care at participating clinics and are open to youth-focused services or alternative ART approaches.
Not a fit: People outside the 12–30 age range or those who are not virally suppressed and therefore ineligible for long-acting injectable ART may not directly benefit from the treatment options offered in this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help more adolescents and young adults stay on treatment and keep their HIV suppressed, improving health and reducing the chance of transmission.
How similar studies have performed: Prior work shows youth-friendly clinics and single-tablet regimens help retention and viral suppression, and long-acting injectables have been effective and approved in older groups, but applying these approaches specifically for adolescents and young adults is newer.
Where this research is happening
Baltimore, United States
- Johns Hopkins University — Baltimore, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Agwu, Allison L — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Agwu, Allison L
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 below.