Long‑acting HIV shots plus teen support groups for adolescents
Official title: Evaluation of Long Acting Injectable (LAI) and Teen clubs in adolescents (ATTUNE)
Funded at Kwazulu-Natal Research Institute Tb-HIV · NIH-11400220 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This program will offer long‑acting injectable HIV medicine, teen club support, and short educational films to help adolescents living with HIV stay on treatment and lower their viral levels.
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) | $521,668 |
| NIH project number | 3UG1MD019435-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11400220 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adolescents and young people living with HIV (roughly ages 10–20) who receive care at participating clinics in the region, especially those struggling with adherence or retention in care.
✕Less likely to help
Very young children, adults outside the adolescent age range, people who cannot attend participating clinics, or those with medical reasons preventing use of long‑acting injectables may not be eligible or benefit.
What this research studies
You may be invited at your clinic to watch short, culturally‑relevant films that give counseling at key moments and join teen club sessions with other young people. Where eligible, clinics may offer long‑acting injectable HIV medication given by staff instead of daily pills, with regular follow‑up visits and blood tests to check viral load. The team will track clinic attendance, medication adherence, and viral suppression over time to see what helps most. Materials will be adapted for local communities and the approach will be supported for wider use across participating sites in sub‑Saharan Africa.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help more adolescents stay in care and achieve viral suppression, reducing illness and deaths among young people with HIV.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier pilot work and other video‑based counseling and long‑acting injectable programs have shown promising improvements in knowledge, adherence, and satisfaction, but combining these elements and scaling them across clinics is still relatively new.
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.