# Unraveling the intersection of substance use, inflammation, and HIV via hair levels

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2024 · $756,284

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ ABSTRACT
Given the overlapping syndemics of HIV and HIV risk with substance use and the contribution of both HIV
and substance use to chronic inflammation, robust, objective metrics to quantitate the type, amount, and
patterns of substance use are needed. Self‐reported metrics are limited by social desirability bias, where
individuals report behavior desired by the provider or researcher, and recall bias, especially with the use of
memory‐altering substances. The UCSF Hair Analytical Laboratory (HAL) has been involved in developing
objective adherence metrics in the field of HIV for 20 years, showing the utility of analyzing antiretroviral
treatment (ART) levels in hair samples to assess ART and pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) adherence and
exposure. The UCSF HAL has also developed hair measures of anti‐tuberculosis (TB) drugs. Given the critical
importance of assessing substance use accurately, and the impact of substances on HIV outcomes, including
inflammation, this proposal aims to direct our laboratory's technical expertise to the field of substance use
monitoring.
 Although available for forensics as qualitative (yes/no) metrics, hair levels assessing quantitative use of
multiple substances have not been widely available for substance use‐HIV studies. Polysubstance use is
common and quantitative multi‐analyte metrics allow impacts on adherence and systemic inflammation to be
assessed. Harnessing an important NIDA‐funded cohort study investigating substance use in those with or at
risk of HIV (the mSTUDY cohort), this proposal aims to develop a suite of hair assays for substances in the
UCSF HAL for NIH‐funded research studies investigating substance use, HIV, and inflammation A single
muti‐analyte panel to simultaneously measure substances (e.g. methamphetamines, different opiates, cocaine,
cannabis, tobacco, and others) will allow intentional or unintentional polysubstance use to be quantitated.
 The mSTUDY has enrolled a biobehavioral cohort since 2013 of over 500 young men who have sex with
men (MSM) of color, half as active substance users (279 with and 278 without HIV) in Los Angeles. The robust
specimen biorepository of mSTUDY contains 76,000 biological samples, with 1115 hair samples from 319
mSTUDY participants who report use of methamphetamine, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and/or
cannabis. Hair sample collection was initiated in August 2014 and is ongoing. These hair samples will serve as
the basis of developing and validating the methods for a multi‐analyte panel of substances in hair in the
UCSF HAL (Aim 1); analyzing the relationship between hair levels and self‐reported adherence measures,
urine toxicology screens, and clinical outcomes (Aim 2); and assessing the relationship between hair levels (of
single or multiple substances) and biomarkers of inflammation (Aim 3). Via this proposal, the UCSF HAL
aims to become the reference laboratory to provide quantitative, objective metrics of substance use
expos...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10873896
- **Project number:** 5R01DA059291-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Monica Gandhi
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $756,284
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-07-01 → 2028-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10873896

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10873896, Unraveling the intersection of substance use, inflammation, and HIV via hair levels (5R01DA059291-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10873896. Licensed CC0.

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