# Persistent Functional Immune Defects in Treated HIV Infection

> **NIH NIH K24** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2021 · $184,290

## Abstract

Project Summary
Peter Hunt, MD is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the UCSF Division of Experimental Medicine and an
internationally recognized leader in translational Patient-Oriented Research (POR) focused on the causes and
consequences of immune activation in treated HIV infection. He is submitting this K24 Mid-Career
Development application to afford him protected time to mentor junior investigators, to provide him with
dedicated mentorship skills training, and to continue to grow his POR program. The candidate: This proposal
will build upon Dr. Hunt's highly productive research program, exemplified by over 200 peer-reviewed
publications, a citation h-index of 52, and robust research funding base including three R01 grants and two
large projects in the DARE collaboratory and amfAR Institute for HIV Cure Research. He has already
demonstrated a strong track record for mentoring, particularly in multidisciplinary team science, including 4
mentees who have successfully applied for K23/K01 awards, and two who have gone on to secure
independent R-series grants. He is also the recipient of the 2015 UCSF AIDS Research Institute Award for
Mentoring. The environment: He has a rich foundation for supporting his mentees including access to the
UCSF SCOPE cohort of >2000 HIV-infected individuals in San Francisco and connections to several other
multicenter cohorts (LSOCA, UARTO, CNICS) and research networks including the ACTG, where he served
as Chair of the Inflammation and End Organ Disease Committee. Mentorship training: This K24 award will
further enhance his mentorship skills through intensive workshops and training modules supported by the
UCSF CTSI Mentorship Training Program and the UCSF-GIVI Mentoring the Mentors program. He will also be
coached by a robust group of career mentors as he navigates this next phase of his career. Research plan:
The overarching hypothesis motivating the research plan is that subclinical immunodeficiency despite treated
HIV infection decreases CD8+ T cell-mediated CMV surveillance, which in turn leads to microbial translocation
and cardiometabolic complications. The specific aims will: 1) assess the contribution of asymptomatic CMV
replication to soluble markers of microbial translocation and vascular dysfunction in treated HIV infection, 2)
assess the degree to which treated HIV infection is associated with inflammatory CMV-specific CD8+ T cell
infiltration of adipose tissue and insulin resistance, and 3) assess whether maturational defects in CMV-specific
CD8+ T cells occur in treated HIV infection. These studies will also serve as ideal POR training platforms for
his mentees.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10138974
- **Project number:** 5K24AI145806-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** PETER W HUNT
- **Activity code:** K24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $184,290
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-04-07 → 2025-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10138974

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10138974, Persistent Functional Immune Defects in Treated HIV Infection (5K24AI145806-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10138974. Licensed CC0.

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