Point-of-care case-finding and care to prevent infant HIV in Malawi
Project 3 - Point-of-care Active Case finding & Management (PAC-Man) Model [Parent Title: PREVENTING INFANT INFECTIONS WITH IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE IN MALAWI]
A clinic-based program in Malawi that finds parents and babies with HIV quickly and links them to treatment to help prevent babies from getting infected.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11325812 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If I'm a parent or caregiver in Malawi, this program would look for people with possible HIV at clinics and community sites and offer testing on the spot. Staff would test adults and infants during routine visits (like immunizations), provide same-day linkage to HIV treatment when needed, and follow families over time. The team uses implementation science to adapt how services are delivered so they work well in local clinics and communities. Data will be tracked to see which approaches reach more families and prevent more infant infections.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are pregnant women, new mothers, infants, and caregivers in Malawi who may have been exposed to HIV or who visit participating clinics for testing or care.
Not a fit: People outside the project areas or without access to participating clinics, and those already fully treated and virally suppressed, are less likely to receive direct benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission and get more families linked to lifesaving treatment sooner.
How similar studies have performed: Similar point-of-care and active case-finding programs have lowered transmission in other African settings, though this integrated model is being tailored and tested specifically in Malawi.
Where this research is happening
Chapel Hill, United States
- Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill — Chapel Hill, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Herce, Michael Emmanuel — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Herce, Michael Emmanuel
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 below.