Impact of Comorbidities and Co-Infections on HIV Reservoirs

May 2023 Council

Lead Division/Office

DDN, DEM, KUH, OMHRC

Point(s) of Contact

Peter Perrin, Ph.D.; Saul Malozowski, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A.; Deepak Nihalani, Ph.D.; Khoa Nguyen, PharmD

Executive Summary

Because of advances in HIV science, particularly the development of effective antiretroviral therapy, HIV has evolved into a chronic disease. As people age with HIV they are developing various comorbidities and co-infections that significantly impact their health and quality of life. There is emerging appreciation that these various conditions and co-infections also impact HIV reservoir biology in ways that are likely to interact with potential cure strategies. However, most research on HIV reservoirs does not incorporate the impact of inflammation, metabolic perturbations, or other pathophysiological processes associated with prevalent comorbidities or co-infections. Rigorous research to address this problem will require synergistic, collaborative interactions between experts in HIV science and researchers with primary expertise is the pathobiology of the comorbidities or co-infections being investigated. This initiative will therefore bring together multi-disciplinary teams to address how comorbidities and co-infections that are prevalent in people interact with viral reservoirs in ways that would confound cure strategies at aimed at sustained viral suppression or elimination from the body.