How BST2 variants affect HIV defense and help the virus
Official title: Mechanisms of antagonism of BST2 isoforms and implications for HIV pathogenesis
Funded at Veterans Medical Research Fdn/san Diego · NIH-11370701 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant studies how HIV tricks the body’s BST2/tetherin defenses and what that means for HIV staying in your body and spreading.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Veterans Medical Research Fdn/san Diego NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Diego, United States) |
| Project start | July 10, 2025 |
| Project end | June 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $368,750 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI192147-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11370701 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not specified in the grant; the research is laboratory-based, focusing on cellular and viral mechanisms.
✕Less likely to help
The study does not describe direct patient participation or immediate clinical benefits.
What this research studies
The project looks at two forms of BST2 and how HIV-1 and HIV-2 use different strategies to counteract them. Researchers will explore how viral proteins remove BST2 from the cell surface, degrade it, or move it away from viral assembly sites. By understanding these mechanisms, they hope to uncover how HIV evades immune defenses and persists in patients. The work involves molecular studies that could point to new therapeutic approaches to strengthen the body's antiviral barriers.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Findings could guide new treatments that bolster BST2’s antiviral action against HIV.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research has shown BST2/tetherin as an important antiviral factor and how viruses counteract it, supporting the potential value of this line of work.
Where this research is happening
-
Veterans Medical Research Fdn/san Diego
San Diego, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lewinski, Mary Kathleen — Veterans Medical Research Fdn/san Diego
- Study coordinator: Lewinski, Mary Kathleen
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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.