Mitigating HIV-Associated Premature Aging with Cannabinoids
Official title: Mitigating HIV-Associated Premature Aging Through Cannabinoid-Mediated Anti-Inflammatory Mechanisms
Funded at Lsu Health Sciences Center · NIH-11471052 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A doctor-scientist team is testing whether cannabis-based anti-inflammatory effects can slow aging-related brain changes in people living with HIV.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Lsu Health Sciences Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Orleans, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $723,353 |
| NIH project number | 1R01DA067338-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11471052 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People living with HIV, especially older adults or those with brain involvement or neuroinflammation.
✕Less likely to help
Results may not directly benefit individuals without HIV or those without inflammatory brain involvement.
What this research studies
This project uses tissues from autopsies of people with HIV to study how HIV persists in the brain and how cannabinoids might reduce inflammation and limit aging-related brain changes. It builds on prior findings that cannabis use can lower HIV reservoirs and inflammatory signals in brain tissues, and it will analyze DNA methylation patterns to understand aging at the cellular level. The goal is to translate these observations into strategies that protect brain health for people living with HIV as they age. Research activities include tissue analysis, biomarker profiling, and correlation of inflammatory and aging signatures with cannabis exposure.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could inform new approaches to preserve brain health and reduce aging-related complications in people living with HIV.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary data suggest cannabis-related anti-inflammatory effects may influence viral reservoirs and inflammation in brain tissue.
Where this research is happening
-
Lsu Health Sciences Center
New Orleans, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wood, Charles — Lsu Health Sciences Center
- Study coordinator: Wood, Charles
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
How life circumstances affect brain aging in people with end-stage kidney disease
This project looks at how neighborhood, income, education, and personal resilience relate to earlier memory and thinking problems in adults with end-stage kidney disease.
-
Targeting aging pathways to help people living with HIV live longer, healthier lives
A patient-centered research project aims to slow aging-related health problems in people with HIV by studying how aging mechanisms work and testing strategies to slow inflammation and aging.
-
Premature aging in World Trade Center responders
Researchers are studying whether responders to the 9/11 cleanup experience faster aging at a biological level, which could affect their health as they get older.
-
Prelamin A's link to early-onset and normal aging
Researchers are looking to see if buildup of a protein called prelamin A drives bone loss and heart vessel disease in people with premature aging syndromes and in normal aging.
-
How life circumstances affect memory and thinking in people with end-stage kidney disease
Researchers will look at how social and economic factors relate to memory and thinking problems across adults with end-stage kidney disease.
-
Long-term immune and aging changes after severe pneumonia
This project looks at lasting changes in gene activity and immune aging after severe pneumonia to understand why survivors face higher risks of heart disease, cancer, and repeat infections.
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.