Could lead to new ways to prevent and treat HIV-induced disorders
The Center for Integrative and Translational Neuroscience at the University of Nebraska Medical Center has received a $9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate the now chronic nature of HIV infection and its interaction with aging.
Howard Fox, M.D., Ph.D., a professor in the department of pharmacology and experimental neuroscience and senior associate dean of research and development for the UNMC College of Medicine, is the principal investigator on the grant.
The grant will allow researchers to study how the aging process interacts with HIV and treatments in the now prolonged life-span of infected individuals. The hope is that the research will lead to new means to prevent and treat HIV-induced and other neurodegenerative disorders.
"Fortunately current therapy allows those who are infected with HIV to lead a relatively normal life,” Dr. Fox said. “However we are finding that many people are not having trouble with the immune effects of viral infection, rather they are affected by other disorders that are associated with aging, such as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.”
"We want to determine the mechanisms leading to the increase in these disorders in HIV infected people and how we can reduce the impact," he said.
It’s estimated that by 2015 one-half of HIV infected individuals in the US will be 50 years of age or older. The now chronic nature of HIV has been a major advancement in AIDS care, Dr. Fox said.
While HIV infected individuals are living longer, damaging effects of HIV persist in the brain and may interact with other neurodegenerative disorders. Researchers will investigate new ways to diagnose, predict, treat and prevent brain damage induced by HIV via a systems biology approach.
The center provides both core support to UNMC investigators for their research as well as developmental grants to stimulate innovative projects.
Through world-class research and patient care, UNMC generates breakthroughs that make life better for people throughout Nebraska and beyond. Its education programs train more health professionals than any other institution in the state. Learn more at unmc.edu.
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