Using a blood alcohol biomarker to help prevent HIV in the era of long-acting treatments
Predictive Power of PEth for HIV Prevention in the Long-Acting Era
A blood test called PEth will be used to identify people whose drinking may raise their risk of getting or passing on HIV, especially those using long-acting HIV prevention or treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Colorado Denver NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Aurora, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11171395 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be part of work that uses a blood marker called PEth to measure recent alcohol use because people often underreport drinking. Researchers will link PEth levels from people with or at risk for HIV to real-world outcomes like adherence to PrEP or long-acting injectable HIV drugs and markers of transmission risk. The team aims to define PEth thresholds that signal higher HIV-related risk and to speed up how quickly PEth results can be returned so clinicians can act sooner. This will use blood samples and clinical data from people receiving HIV prevention or treatment at participating sites.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with or at high risk for HIV who drink alcohol, especially those using or considering injectable long-acting PrEP or ART like cabotegravir, are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People who do not drink alcohol, are not at risk for HIV, or are unwilling to give blood samples may not benefit from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, clinicians could use a simple blood test to quickly identify patients who need extra help with alcohol use to improve HIV prevention and treatment outcomes.
How similar studies have performed: Prior studies show PEth reliably detects recent heavy drinking, but applying specific PEth cutoffs to predict HIV prevention or treatment risks—especially with long-acting injectables—is new and not yet proven.
Where this research is happening
Aurora, UNITED STATES
- University of Colorado Denver — Aurora, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Brooks, Kristina Marie — University of Colorado Denver
- Study coordinator: Brooks, Kristina Marie
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.