# HIV-1 and amyloid beta interactions at the blood-brain barrier

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2020 · $135,455

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
HIV and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brains share amyloid pathology as a contributing factor to cognitive
decline that develops in the course of these diseases. In addition, both HIV infection and AD are
associated with increased generation and release of extracellular vesicles (ECVs) that contain amyloid
beta (Aβ) and are involved its intercellular transfer. Finally, the pool of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) is
affected in both HIV infection and AD, leading to alterations of the learning and memory processes in
HIV and AD patients. Thus, studies on shared mechanisms between HIV-infected brains and AD, with
focus on Aβ and ECVs, may provide common pathways to treatment of these diseases.
Our results, generated in the course of the parent grant, indicate that exposure to ECVs carrying Aβ
(Aβ-ECVs) negatively affects differentiation of NPCs to mature neurons; however, the mechanisms of
these effects are unknown. In the present supplement, we hypothesize that an underlying cause of
altered neurogenesis may be mitochondrial dysfunction, which is a prominent feature of both HIV
infection and AD. Therefore, we propose to extend our original proposal on studies on the impact of Aβ-
ECVs on mitochondrial functions of NPCs. The central hypothesis of this supplement is that
exposure to Aβ-ECVs induces mitochondrial dysfunction of NPCs, leading to the induction of
inflammatory responses, and resulting in aberrant neurogenesis. Consistent with the parent grant,
the outcome of the proposed studies will be focused on differentiation of NPCs to mature neurons. When
successfully completed, this supplement may lead to the development of future therapeutic interventions
influencing ECV formation and interactions with NPCs that can attenuate the dynamic and severity of
cognitive decline both in HIV infection and AD.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10123346
- **Project number:** 3R01MH072567-13S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Michal Toborek
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $135,455
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2005-09-20 → 2022-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10123346

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10123346, HIV-1 and amyloid beta interactions at the blood-brain barrier (3R01MH072567-13S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10123346. Licensed CC0.

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