# HIV, HCV, and gender effects on Liver, Bone, and Vascular Health

> **NIH NIH K24** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2020 · $132,329

## Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT
I am a Professor of Medicine trained in infectious diseases (ID) and HIV epidemiology, who has developed a
nationally recognized clinical translational research program focused on understanding the associations of
HIV and HCV infection with adipose tissue changes, and metabolic and inflammatory perturbations, and their
effects on long-term organ injury (liver, bone, and vascular). My current supported research includes: 1) a R01
that establishes a longitudinal multisite cohort of ~1500 women with HIV and/or HCV infection, and those
with neither infection to determine the effects of HIV, HCV, and gonadal aging on liver steatosis and fibrosis
progression using FibroScan®; 2) a second R01 and a Merck investigator-initiated award that examines the
effects of HCV cure and: a) latent HIV reservoirs, immune activation, and liver fibrosis and b) novel
biomarkers of kidney injury in persons treated with direct acting antiviral agents; 3) a second Merck award
that examines the association of plasma levels of integrase strand inhibitors (INSTIs) with body composition
changes; and 4) a U01 whose core goal is to study the long-term progression of HIV in U.S. men and women
from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) and the Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS). My
research grants leverage the infrastructure of the WIHS, which in 2019 became the MACS-WIHS Combined
Cohort Study (MWCCS). For the new research to be supported by the K24 renewal, I will augment our current
sample of women with ~3000 MWCCS men who will undergo FibroScan® beginning in 2020 to: 1) examine
how health-related disparities (socioeconomic, behavioral and mental health conditions, i.e. income, education,
region/neighborhood of residence, healthcare access, food security, and depression), biologic sex including
gonadal aging, and ancestry informative markers influence steatosis and fibrosis progression; 2) investigate
the biologic and immune pathways associated with steatosis and fibrosis progression using objective
measurement of visceral adiposity, sex hormone levels, gut and oral microbiome analysis, plasma and hair
INSTI levels obtained in the MWCCS; 3) determine how steatosis and fibrosis affects extrahepatic outcomes
(cardiac, neurocognition, bone). The proposed studies will expand my research portfolio and extend the depth
of my mentoring program to include mentees from an array of new disciplines (e.g. socio-behavioral sciences,
endocrinology, pharmacology, and microbiology, in addition to mentees in ID, hepatology, and cardiology),
and mentees from underrepresented minority (URM) groups who can effectively contribute to the HIV
communities most at risk today. The MWCCS provides mentees with ready access to a rich research platform
to build their careers in patient-oriented research. I plan additional training in professional and diversity
leadership and how to build a structured and sustainable mentoring program in order to develop early and
mid-career investigator...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10083072
- **Project number:** 2K24AI108516-06
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Phyllis C Tien
- **Activity code:** K24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $132,329
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2013-07-15 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10083072

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10083072, HIV, HCV, and gender effects on Liver, Bone, and Vascular Health (2K24AI108516-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10083072. Licensed CC0.

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