Menopause, Hormone Therapy, and HIV Risk in Cervical M mucosa
Official title: INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF MENOPAUSE AND MENOPAUSE HORMONE THERAPY ON IMMUNE DETERMINANTS OF HIV-1 SUSCEPTIBILTY IN CERVICAL MUCOSA
Funded at University of Alabama at Birmingham · NIH-11470603 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how menopause and menopause hormone therapy may change the immune guard in the cervix, potentially affecting HIV risk for aging women.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Alabama at Birmingham NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Birmingham, United States) |
| Project start | July 22, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $223,500 |
| NIH project number | 1R21AI203618-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11470603 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Women who are pre-, peri-, or menopausal and undergoing hysterectomy at UAB clinics, with or without menopause hormone therapy.
✕Less likely to help
Women not within the specified age/menopausal status or not undergoing hysterectomy at participating sites may not benefit.
What this research studies
Aging women are at rising risk for HIV, and menopause changes immune function. The study will use cervical tissue from women undergoing hysterectomies to examine how menopausal status and hormone therapy alter immune cells and pathways in cervicovaginal mucosa. Advanced techniques like high-parameter flow cytometry and single-cell RNA sequencing will map immune changes and how they relate to HIV susceptibility. The goal is to inform patients and healthcare providers about how menopause and hormone therapy could influence mucosal defense against infections.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could guide safer menopause management and HIV prevention strategies for aging women.
How similar studies have gone: This approach uses established cervical tissue models and modern single-cell analyses, with some prior work in the field supporting mucosal immunology but combining them for menopause-related HIV susceptibility is novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ochsenbauer, Christina — University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Study coordinator: Ochsenbauer, Christina
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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.