# Immune correlates of long-term success with DAA therapy in HCV/HIV infected people who inject drugs

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE · 2020 · $154,500

## Abstract

Risk factors for developing severe illness/acute respiratory distress syndrome from coronavirus
disease 2019 (COVID-19) include older age, male gender, and underlying conditions, currently
identified as smoking, chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma, heart disease with
complications, severe obesity, diabetes, renal failure or liver disease. Immune factors are likely
to contribute to disease progression. While immune activation is required for anti-viral response,
severely ill patients show an excessive and aberrant host immune response as evidenced by high
inflammatory markers and proinflammatory cytokines. On the other hand, factors associated
with less robust immune response against the virus, such as advanced age are associated with
severe disease. Opioid use disorder (OUD) is an important public heath condition associated with
dysregulated immunity. This may be related to higher prevalence of systemic comorbid
conditions and concomitant conditions like chronic HIV, hepatitis C or incident infections
related to injection drug use, which may further influence immune response to infections. An
especially vulnerable group is people living with HIV (PLWH) with OUD, which are expected to
have further immune dysregulations due to twin effect of HIV and opioids on immunity.
Additionally, people with OUD are at increased risk of COVID-19 due to social factors such
as homelessness, poor access to healthcare, housing insecurity, greater likelihood of
incarceration, which can make it more difficult to maintain social distancing and these
individuals may not seek medical care promptly due to lack of access to outpatient care. We are
asking whether OUD constitutes a risk factor for progressive (COVID-19), especially in PLWH.
We are investigating immune responses in individuals with OUD and HIV infection under our
NIDA funded R01; leveraging the clinical cohorts and IRB approved blood collection protocols
from COVID-19 patients, here we will investigate incidence and progression of COVID-19 in
these patient populations. First, we will document clinical course and outcomes of COVID-19 in
patients with or without OUD/HIV. To identify immune correlates of COVID-19 severity, we
will perform analysis of B and T cell responses and study impact of OUD and HIV on this
response. Our investigation of clinical and immunological features of the disease in PLWH and
OUD will expand on known correlates of progressive COVID-19 and will inform treatment and
prophylactic approaches for COVID-19 in vulnerable groups.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10145227
- **Project number:** 3R01DA043396-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE
- **Principal Investigator:** Shyamasundaran Kottilil
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $154,500
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2017-09-15 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10145227

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10145227, Immune correlates of long-term success with DAA therapy in HCV/HIV infected people who inject drugs (3R01DA043396-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10145227. Licensed CC0.

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