HIV in Women: How the virus hides and the immune system changes across life stages
Official title: HIV Reservoir Dynamics and Immune Responses Across the Female Reproductive Life Span
Funded at Johns Hopkins University · NIH-11596339 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how HIV behaves differently in people from puberty through menopause, focusing on how hormones like estrogen may affect HIV persistence and immune responses.
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 start | September 12, 2025 |
| Project end | August 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $276,798 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AI192206-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11596339 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Women living with HIV across a wide age range, including reproductive ages, pregnancy, and menopause.
✕Less likely to help
People without HIV or those not in the targeted age/reproductive stages may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
If you are living with HIV, this research will study how age and female reproductive life events influence the hidden HIV reservoir and the body's immune reactions. It uses a large cohort in a setting with diverse ages and reproductive stages to explore how pregnancy, menopause, and aging change HIV dynamics. The study will examine interactions between sex hormones and HIV latency, aiming to identify periods when the reservoir might be more vulnerable or harder to clear. The findings could guide future cures that work for everyone, including women at different life stages.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could inform personalized strategies to target HIV reservoirs across the female lifespan.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has shown sex and aging influence HIV reservoirs, but this study integrates lifespan hormone exposure with reservoir dynamics in a large, well-characterized cohort.
Where this research is happening
-
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Scully, Eileen Patricia — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Scully, Eileen Patricia
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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.