# Impact of HIV on the Tumor Microenvironment

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2022 · $387,192

## Abstract

Project Summary Abstract
Cancer is the leading cause of death in HIV-infected individuals on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART)
in the United States and globally. This is because people infected with HIV can expect a near normal life on
cART and overall mortality is determined by the same diseases as in the general population. Nevertheless,
certain cancers occur much more frequently in HIV-infected individuals than in HIV-negative persons. These
cancers include the AIDS-defining cancers, Kaposi sarcoma (KS) and a variety of lymphomas, including
primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), which is associated with infection with Kaposi's sarcoma-associated
herpesvirus and non-Hodgkin lymphomas, which are associated with infection by Epstein-Barr virus. In fact,
KS is the leading cancer in the HIV-positive population today. Furthermore, as the HIV-positive cohort ages
they are at an increasing risk of developing both AIDS-defining cancers (ADCs) as well as non-AIDS defining
cancers (NADCs).
 This application is in response to RFA-CA-17-030 on HIV/AIDS and the Tumor Niche. We propose to
understand the impact of HIV infection on the microenvironment that surrounds the ADCs, Kaposi sarcoma
and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. We will investigate the impact of HIV viral proteins on tumor progression and
angiogenesis of ADCs using novel mouse models of pathogenesis and tumorigenesis. We will also explore
the mechanisms for the increased rate of development of cancers in the HIV infected population.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10398014
- **Project number:** 5R01CA228172-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** BLOSSOM A DAMANIA
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $387,192
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-06-01 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10398014

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10398014, Impact of HIV on the Tumor Microenvironment (5R01CA228172-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10398014. Licensed CC0.

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