Long-acting HIV injections with teen club support for adolescents (ATTUNE)
Official title: Evaluation of Long Acting Injectable (LAI) and Teen clubs in adolescents (ATTUNE)
Funded at Kwazulu-Natal Research Institute Tb-HIV · NIH-10934573 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project compares monthly long-acting HIV injections plus teen-friendly clinic and peer support to daily pills for adolescents living with HIV in South Africa.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Kwazulu-Natal Research Institute Tb-HIV NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durban, SOUTH AFRICA) |
| Project start | September 24, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $478,993 |
| NIH project number | 5UG1MD019435-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-10934573 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adolescents living with HIV in KwaZulu-Natal (roughly ages 12–20) who are engaged in HIV care and can attend participating clinics.
✕Less likely to help
Children under 12, people living far from participating clinics, or those with resistance to the injectable drugs may not be helped by this project.
What this research studies
If you are a teenager living with HIV, this project will offer teen-friendly clinic services and peer navigators to help you stay in care. Some teens will be offered long-acting injectable HIV medicine instead of daily pills while others continue oral treatment alongside the new support services. Researchers will track viral suppression, retention in care, and how the combined approach works in real-world clinics across KwaZulu-Natal. They will also identify practical barriers and solutions for clinics to deliver injections and peer support more widely.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could make it easier for adolescents to stay on treatment and maintain viral suppression with fewer daily pills.
How similar studies have gone: Long-acting injectable HIV medicines have worked well in adult clinical trials, but combining injections with teen-focused services in low-resource settings is new and less tested.
Where this research is happening
-
Kwazulu-Natal Research Institute Tb-HIV
Durban, South Africa Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Archary, Moherndran — Kwazulu-Natal Research Institute Tb-HIV
- Study coordinator: Archary, Moherndran
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.