# Next-Generation Phylodynamics-targeted Partner Service Models for Combined HIV Prevention

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO · 2020 · $788,275

## Abstract

The Phylodynamics-targeted Partner service Models (P2M) project aims to guide and transform the rapidly
evolving public health implementation of molecular HIV surveillance (MHS) based prevention interventions as a
critical step towards HIV elimination. P2M seeks to study and optimize emerging new national guidance: The
CDC's March 2017 recommendations of the HIV Cluster Guidance Working Group on health department
implementation of MHS with clinical HIV resistance genotypes, now recommended at entry to care. These HIV-1
pol sequences can be used to identify “molecular clusters” of persons with genetically similar HIV. The
overarching goal of MHS is to identify persons within the risk environment. These persons are potential sources,
or recipients, of new HIV transmissions, and defined as: 1) new HIV seropositives (including recent/acute
infections); 2) previously known HIV seropositives with detectable viral load (in care or not); and 3) at-risk HIV
seronegatives. The yield of these persons in the risk environment is an important metric of the usefulness of
MHS-based partner services or other network recruitment procedures (ie 2-step) that will be examined in P2M.
Thus, P2M aims to rigorously test the hypotheses that: (a) analyzing molecular cluster data closer to time of HIV
diagnosis will increase the yield of risk environment members; and (b) targeted prevention using advanced
partner and network service approaches our team has innovated will also increase yield and improve
effectiveness of public health combination interventions. It is not feasible, however, to conduct a series of
randomized trials to test these hypotheses. Modeling approaches, however, are best suited for providing
guidance when multiple approaches and conceivable conditions exist, the contexts do not lend themselves to
research trials, and where multiple downstream outcomes are possible. For P2M, members of this multi-
institutional investigative team (from Houston and Chicago) will build upon existing HIV TRACE collaborations,
observational cohorts of populations most impacted by HIV and an existing Agent-Based HIV transmission
model (ABM) to guide and prioritize interventions. Accordingly, we aim to: Aim 1) Determine the relative
effectiveness of partner services targeted to HIV TRACE derived molecular clusters compared to partner
services as currently delivered without molecular cluster targeting (standard of care) to yield persons in the risk
environment. Aim 2) Optimize several cluster size and time thresholds by parameterizing an agent-based
model with existing cohort data that best yield categories of individuals in the risk environment based upon: 1)
time-to-molecular cluster identification; 2) molecular cluster number and size; and 3) real-time versus delayed
partner services response to cluster growth. Aim 3a) Model relative effectiveness of combined molecular
surveillance and next-generation partner services – 2-step, 3-step and social network referral – that best...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9850924
- **Project number:** 5R01AI136056-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Nanette Dior Benbow
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $788,275
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-02-06 → 2023-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9850924

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9850924, Next-Generation Phylodynamics-targeted Partner Service Models for Combined HIV Prevention (5R01AI136056-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9850924. Licensed CC0.

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