Understanding HIV immune escape to guide vaccines and cures
Official title: Computational Dissection of HIV Immune Escape Across Viral Diversity
Funded at Trustees of Indiana University · NIH-11469111 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are building a robust computational method to identify universal HIV escape patterns across diverse viral strains to help design better vaccines and therapies for people living with HIV.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Trustees of Indiana University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Bloomington, United States) |
| Project start | August 18, 2026 |
| Project end | July 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $370,835 |
| NIH project number | 1R01AI203609-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11469111 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People living with HIV or those at risk who could benefit from improved vaccines and therapies based on universal escape patterns.
✕Less likely to help
Patients unlikely to benefit are those not directly involved in HIV vaccine or cure research or who are not enrolled in clinical studies related to immune escape.
What this research studies
This project creates a clear, uncertainty-aware computational framework to study how HIV evades immune responses across many viral variants. It will produce interpretable, epitope-level insights with built-in uncertainty checks and cross-clade comparisons. The goal is to move beyond noisy, cohort-biased findings and toward reliable signals that can inform immunogen design and cure strategies. The work is designed to translate complex data into practical guidance for researchers and, ultimately, patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the approach could lead to more broadly protective vaccines and smarter therapeutic strategies that consider diversity across HIV strains.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has shown it is possible to study HIV escape signals, but generalization across diverse strains remains challenging and this project aims to make such signals more reliable.
Where this research is happening
-
Trustees of Indiana University
Bloomington, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lu, Guoyu — Trustees of Indiana University
- Study coordinator: Lu, Guoyu
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.