How methamphetamine affects HIV in the brain
Official title: Methamphetamine, HIV integration and latency in the brain
Funded at San Diego Biomedical Research Institute · NIH-11371810 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how methamphetamine changes where HIV hides and stays active in brain cells of people with HIV to help explain lasting brain problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | San Diego Biomedical Research Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Diego, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $798,422 |
| NIH project number | 4R33DA059924-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11371810 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with HIV—especially those who use methamphetamine or have HIV-related neurological symptoms—would be most relevant to this research.
✕Less likely to help
People without HIV or those who have never used methamphetamine are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this work.
What this research studies
Researchers will study how methamphetamine and the brain chemical dopamine change HIV's integration into DNA and latency in brain immune cells called microglia. They will begin with lab-grown human microglia cell lines and iPSC-derived microglia to control drug and dopamine exposure, then move to ex vivo and in vivo work using SIV-infected rhesus macaque brain tissue to map integration across brain regions. The team will examine chromatin organization to see how it influences where the virus inserts into host DNA and whether meth increases integration susceptibility. Comparisons across brain regions with different dopamine inputs, such as the basal ganglia, aim to explain region-specific effects on viral persistence.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to ways to reduce HIV reservoirs in the brain and lessen long-term neurological problems for people with HIV who use methamphetamine.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies have linked methamphetamine and dopamine to worse HIV-related brain effects, but applying chromatin mapping and SIV-macaque models to study integration in microglia is a newer and more detailed approach.
Where this research is happening
-
San Diego Biomedical Research Institute
San Diego, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Marcondes, Maria Cecilia Garibaldi — San Diego Biomedical Research Institute
- Study coordinator: Marcondes, Maria Cecilia Garibaldi
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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.