How HIV medicines and the virus itself affect fat tissue in monkeys
Official title: Alterations to adipose tissue regulation and function by cART in SIV-infected rhesus macaques
Funded at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign · NIH-11409751 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will study how HIV infection and antiretroviral drugs together change fat tissue in a monkey model to understand complications seen in people living with HIV.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Champaign, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2026 |
| Project end | July 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $882,709 |
| NIH project number | 1R01DK148251-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11409751 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable to patient participants directly in this animal study; results aim to inform future human research and therapies.
✕Less likely to help
Current participants will be non-human primates; direct patient benefit is not part of this study.
What this research studies
This project uses SIV-infected rhesus macaques to explore how HIV and long-term HIV medications alter fat cells and their precursors. The study will compare infection alone, drug treatment alone, and both together, looking at how adipocytes and adipose stem cells mature and function over time. Researchers will monitor fat distribution and real-time adipocyte activity to see how aging-related changes may be accelerated. Findings could help explain lipodystrophy and metabolic problems in people with HIV on cART and guide better therapies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better understanding of how HIV and its treatment affect fat tissue could lead to strategies that prevent or reduce lipodystrophy and metabolic complications in people living with HIV.
How similar studies have gone: Prior non-human primate research has shown that HIV and cART can impact adipose tissue, supporting the relevance of this approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bunnell, Bruce a. — University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Study coordinator: Bunnell, Bruce a.
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.