Vaccine protection and inflammation in older adults with HIV
Official title: Vaccine immunity and inflammation in the aging person living with HIV
Funded at Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute · NIH-11131286 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how age and long-term inflammation change immune responses to the pneumococcal vaccine in adults with and without HIV.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project start | July 15, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $659,701 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG084437-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11131286 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults living with HIV (both age groups: 50 and older, and under 50) and HIV-negative adults willing to receive PCV20 and provide blood samples are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Children, people who cannot safely receive the PCV20 vaccine, or those unable to attend clinic visits are unlikely to participate or directly benefit from this project.
What this research studies
If you join, you'll receive the 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV20) and have blood drawn shortly after vaccination and again over two years to measure antibodies, B cells, and CD4 T cell responses. The study will enroll four groups—older adults with HIV (50+), older HIV-negative controls (50+), younger adults with HIV (<50), and younger HIV-negative controls (<50)—to compare how age and HIV status affect vaccine responses. Researchers will also measure markers of chronic inflammation and related conditions, like metabolic or autoimmune issues, to see how these influence immunity. Study staff will follow participants at about 30 days post-vaccination and at longer intervals up to two years to track short- and longer-term protection.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help tailor vaccine timing, booster recommendations, or anti-inflammatory strategies to improve protection for older people living with HIV.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research shows chronic inflammation can weaken vaccine responses, but few studies have focused on older adults with HIV, so this direct, age-stratified comparison is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute
Minneapolis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Frosch, Anne Elizabeth Parker — Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute
- Study coordinator: Frosch, Anne Elizabeth Parker
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Aging Well with HIV: Alcohol, Risk Reduction, and Education Center (AWAR3E)
A center at Yale is exploring how aging with HIV interacts with alcohol use to create inflammation and frailty, with the goal of finding biomarkers and potential treatments.
-
Cognitive SuperAging: Exploring why some octogenarians stay sharp in memory
This NIH grant studies why a small group of people aged 80+ keep memory skills as good as much younger people, hoping to understand how to protect memory as we age.
-
Biological aging across the lifespan through a national high school-to-adult study
This grant uses a long-running national study of students and adults to collect saliva biomarkers of aging, alongside surveys, to understand how aging markers relate to health and life experiences.
-
Understanding how aging and Alzheimer’s affect how people make tough choices
This NIH grant studies how aging and Alzheimer’s risk change how people decide between immediate and delayed rewards and risky options, with the goal of helping older adults stay financially and healthwise safer.
-
Understanding how brain resilience and multiple brain pathologies influence aging and Alzheimer's disease
A long-term study follows older adults to learn how resilience to brain changes helps reduce dementia risk and what biological factors are linked to better cognitive aging.
-
National Neighborhood Data Archive helps researchers study aging health in U.S. neighborhoods
A nationwide data resource will help researchers understand how where people live affects health and aging, with a focus on respiratory illnesses in older adults.
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.