Using hair tests to monitor long‑acting HIV prevention
“Hair Lengthening”: Using Hair Levels to Interpret Long-Acting PrEP Studies.
This project uses hair samples to track how well long‑acting injectable HIV prevention works for people at risk of HIV.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R37 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11260222 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would give small hair samples that researchers measure for drug levels over time to see how much medicine stays in your body after long‑acting injections like cabotegravir. The team compares hair drug levels with single blood tests and with cases where people got HIV despite on‑time injections to find better long‑term exposure markers. Hair is easy to collect, store, and ship, so the work includes samples from diverse settings including low‑income countries. The goal is to improve understanding of when protection is strong or waning and why some breakthroughs happen.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are people at risk for HIV who are using or considering long‑acting injectable PrEP such as cabotegravir, or who are enrolled in PrEP programs and willing to provide hair samples.
Not a fit: People not using injectable PrEP, unwilling to provide hair samples, or whose care does not involve antiretroviral prevention are unlikely to directly benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could give clearer, longer‑term information about who is protected by injectable PrEP and help prevent HIV infections and drug resistance.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies, including many publications from the UCSF team, have successfully used hair drug levels to monitor antiretroviral exposure, though applying this specifically to cabotegravir long‑acting PrEP is more recent.
Where this research is happening
San Francisco, United States
- University of California, San Francisco — San Francisco, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gandhi, Monica — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Gandhi, Monica
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.