HIV-1 membrane fusion and its blockers in membranes and on virus surfaces
Official title: HIV-1 membrane fusion and inhibition
Funded at Boston Children's Hospital · NIH-11539387 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aims to understand how HIV-1 fuses into human cells and how two kinds of blockers stop it, using advanced imaging on real virus-like membranes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | May 20, 2024 |
| Project end | March 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $162,799 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AI181618-03S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11539387 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable in this basic science grant description.
✕Less likely to help
No direct patient involvement described in this basic mechanistic study.
What this research studies
This project will study the HIV-1 envelope as it meets CD4 and CCR5 on membranes, capturing high-resolution structures with cryo-EM and cryo-ET. By examining Env with intact CD4 and CCR5 in a lipid bilayer and on virus particles, researchers hope to see how fusion happens at the membrane interface. They will also test how two inhibitors—an anti-CD4 antibody (ibalizumab) and small molecules targeting the MPER region—prevent the fusion process. The work combines structural biology with functional assays to link shape changes to mechanism of entry and inhibition. The ultimate goal is to inform new strategies for preventing HIV-1 infection.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better understanding of HIV-1 entry could lead to improved therapies or vaccines that block infection.
How similar studies have gone: Prior structural studies have advanced knowledge of HIV-1 fusion, but direct structures in membrane contexts and with specific inhibitors are still being explored.
Where this research is happening
-
Boston Children's Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chen, Bing — Boston Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Chen, Bing
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.