HERV-K activation and targeted therapies for AIDS-related cancers
Official title: The transactivation of human endogenous retrovirus (HERV)-K by oncogenic virus in HIV+ patients and development of targeted therapies
Funded at Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis · NIH-11402181 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aims to understand how a human retrovirus sequence called HERV-K is turned on in HIV/AIDS patients and how this might lead to new therapies for cancers like Kaposi’s sarcoma.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Little Rock, United States) |
| Project start | August 28, 2026 |
| Project end | May 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $647,465 |
| NIH project number | 1R01DE035802-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11402181 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
HIV+ patients with AIDS-related cancers (e.g., Kaposi’s Sarcoma, Primary Effusion Lymphoma) or related immunocompromised individuals.
✕Less likely to help
If a patient’s cancer is not driven by HERV-K activation, they may not benefit from the proposed therapies.
What this research studies
In people with HIV/AIDS, certain viruses can drive cancer growth. This project studies how HERV-K, a human genetic element, becomes active when another virus (KSHV) is present and how that activity might promote cancers such as Kaposi’s Sarcoma and Primary Effusion Lymphoma. Researchers will use patient-derived cells and cancer models to explore the mechanism and test targeted therapies that could block this activation. The goal is to identify therapeutic approaches that reduce cancer progression by preventing HERV-K–driven changes in tumor cells. Results could point toward new treatments specifically for HIV+ patients with AIDS-related cancers.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to new targeted therapies for AIDS-related cancers by stopping HERV-K–driven cancer progression.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary data show HERV-K activation associates with cancer-related behaviors, suggesting potential for therapeutic targeting, though this approach is still early-stage.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis
Little Rock, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Qin, Zhiqiang — Univ of Arkansas for Med Scis
- Study coordinator: Qin, Zhiqiang
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.