How HIV affects COVID-19 spread and the rise of new variants
The effect of HIV on SARS-CoV-2 transmission and emergence of variants of concern
This project compares how COVID-19 behaves and changes in people living with HIV versus others to understand when and where new variants may appear.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California-Irvine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Irvine, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11146478 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, you'll be asked to provide nasal or throat swabs and share your health information while researchers recruit people with and without HIV in communities with high HIV rates. They will sequence the virus from your samples over time to track how long infections last and what genetic changes appear. The team will combine those viral genomes with clinical and contact data to map transmission chains and spot where variants emerge. This work aims to determine whether prolonged infections in people with weakened immunity are helping new SARS-CoV-2 variants to develop and spread.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are people living with HIV—particularly those with weakened immune systems or prolonged COVID-19 infections—living in areas with high HIV prevalence.
Not a fit: People without recent SARS-CoV-2 infection or whose samples are not selected for sequencing are unlikely to receive direct personal benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help target testing, treatment, and vaccination efforts to reduce the chance that new, harder-to-control variants emerge and spread.
How similar studies have performed: Previous case reports and smaller studies have shown that persistent SARS-CoV-2 infections in immunocompromised patients can lead to viral evolution, but larger population-level studies in high-HIV settings remain limited.
Where this research is happening
Irvine, United States
- University of California-Irvine — Irvine, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Shin, Sanghyuk Sam — University of California-Irvine
- Study coordinator: Shin, Sanghyuk Sam
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.