Tracking early HIV reservoirs in naive CD4 T cells
The barcode project: a strategy to track the early naïve reservoir
It looks at whether HIV hides in naive CD4 T cells early after infection, especially in people who start antiretroviral therapy soon after diagnosis.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Emory University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11111435 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, researchers would collect blood samples and use genetic barcode methods to tag and follow infected T cell clones, with a focus on naive CD4+ T cells. They will sequence and compare naive and memory T cells from people treated very early to measure how often naive cells carry intact HIV and whether they later repopulate the memory pool. The team will also use laboratory latency models to recreate and track how infected naive cells behave over time. Together these steps aim to show whether the early naive reservoir predicts how the overall HIV reservoir changes after early treatment.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people diagnosed with HIV very soon after infection who begin antiretroviral therapy early and can provide serial blood samples.
Not a fit: People with long-standing HIV who started treatment years after infection, and people without HIV, are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal an early marker of the long-lived HIV reservoir that helps target cure strategies and inform when to start treatment.
How similar studies have performed: Previous sequencing and preliminary clone-tracking work suggest naive CD4+ cells can carry intact HIV and may reseed memory, but using barcode tracking in acutely treated people is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
Atlanta, United States
- Emory University — Atlanta, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: O'doherty, Una T — Emory University
- Study coordinator: O'doherty, Una T
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.