# Research Project 2: Pathological Diagnosis and Etiology of Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia in Zambia

> **NIH NIH U54** · UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA LINCOLN · 2021 · $1,664

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Despite effective implementation of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) programs, individuals in sub-Saharan Africa
remain at increased risk for several neoplastic diseases even when HIV-1 viral load is fully suppressed.
Comorbidities, immunodeficiency, inadequate diagnosis and treatment access, advanced disease
presentation, available treatment modalities, and socio-economic status are factors known to impact cancer
survival. Ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN), the most common tumor of the eye, has emerged as a
highly prevalent neoplastic manifestation of the HIV epidemic in Zambia. Advanced disease is associated with
profound risk for permanent visual impairment, disease progression, and recurrence is common following
surgical excision. Because HIV-1 could impact inflammatory drivers of neoplastic growth or form a local tissue
reservoir in ocular tissue, our overall goal is to identify factors, such as HPV con-infection, that may
differentially associate with the pathogenesis of OSSN in HIV-1 infected individuals. The project hypothesis is
that HIV-1 co-infection promotes infection with specific HPV genotypes, which correlates with increased rates
of OSSN. To test this concept, the project team will characterize a cohort of Zambian HIV-1 positive and
negative OSSN patients with regard to their HIV-1 disease parameters, OSSN histopathological grading, and
socio-demographic occupation and medical risk factors. The team will follow characterization of the cohort by
an in-depth molecular investigation of the presence of HPV in the various stages of OSSN neoplasia, and any
association of HPV co-infection with HIV infection. It will also investigate the etiological role of HPV through
quantification of virally-induced tumor markers such as p16, p53 and YAP, as well as characterizing the
genomic integration state of HPV in graded OSSN tumors. Finally, the team will genotype all HPVs detected in
association with OSSN to determine whether there are specific HPV genotypes that drive OSSN and
segregate by grade, or by HIV-1 co-infection. This study will provide an excellent training and capacity-building
opportunity for young Zambian cancer researchers while simultaneously illuminating the potential role of HPV
in OSSN by revealing both the genotype(s) responsible, and the molecular pathways dysregulated in tumor
tissues. The transfer of molecular diagnostic methods and expertise through this study will likely lead to the
development of new prognostic and diagnostic markers, including those that impact prevention and treatment
of OSSN or other malignancies in Zambia.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10242679
- **Project number:** 5U54CA221204-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA LINCOLN
- **Principal Investigator:** Peter C. Angeletti
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $1,664
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-15 → 2021-10-15

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10242679

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10242679, Research Project 2: Pathological Diagnosis and Etiology of Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia in Zambia (5U54CA221204-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10242679. Licensed CC0.

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