Understanding how HIV exposure in early life affects children's development in Africa
Official title: Cross-disciplinary approach to understanding the long-term impact of HIV exposure in children
Funded at University of Maryland Baltimore · NIH-11478605 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant follows children born to mothers with HIV or without HIV in Malawi to see how early HIV exposure may shape their thinking, learning, and school readiness as they grow.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Maryland Baltimore NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | September 16, 2025 |
| Project end | June 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $354,854 |
| NIH project number | 3R01HD119968-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11478605 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children born to mothers with HIV exposure (CHEU) and their peers in Sub-Saharan Africa, followed through school age.
✕Less likely to help
Children without HIV exposure or in settings with very different health environments may not experience direct benefits from this study.
What this research studies
Researchers will extend a cohort of children born to mothers with and without HIV in Malawi to follow them into school age, examining neurodevelopment, cognitive function, and the learning environment. The study will look at factors like gut microbiota, health history, and nurturing circumstances to understand long-term outcomes. They plan to build local leadership and research capacity at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences to conduct neurocognitive assessments and related analyses. The work involves collaboration between Malawian and U.S. investigators to translate findings into better support for children affected by HIV exposure. Overall, the project aims to clarify how prenatal HIV exposure influences development and how interventions might improve school success for these children.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could guide interventions to improve neurodevelopment and school readiness for HIV-exposed children in SSA.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has shown neurodevelopmental differences in CHEU; this project extends follow-up to school age to confirm and elaborate findings.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Maryland Baltimore
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Laurens, Matthew Brent — University of Maryland Baltimore
- Study coordinator: Laurens, Matthew Brent
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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.