Using artesunate to help clear HPV and lower cervical precancer coming back in women with HIV
Feasibility of artesunate to improve HPV and cervical precancer treatment outcomes among HIV positive women in LMICs
This project tests whether adding artesunate, a medicine related to malaria treatment, helps women living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries clear HPV and reduce precancer recurrence after standard treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| 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-11174423 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be offered artesunate alongside the usual ablation or excisional treatment used when precancer is found on the cervix. The team will collect cervical samples over time to see if HPV is cleared more often and if precancer comes back less frequently. The work focuses on women living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries and is designed to see if delivering the drug and tracking results is practical in those settings. It builds on U.S. trials that showed artesunate is safe and may help with similar HPV-related lesions.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are women living with HIV who have suspected or confirmed cervical precancer and are receiving ablative or excisional treatment, especially in low- and middle-income country settings.
Not a fit: People who do not have HPV-related cervical precancer, who are not living with HIV, or who already have invasive cervical cancer are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could increase HPV clearance and lower the chance that cervical precancer returns after treatment for women with HIV.
How similar studies have performed: Early U.S.-based trials have shown artesunate is safe and suggested possible benefit for HPV-related anogenital lesions, but larger or context-specific trials are still needed.
Where this research is happening
Chapel Hill, United States
- Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill — Chapel Hill, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mungo, Chemtai — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Mungo, Chemtai
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.