# Reservoir Dynamics in Patients Treated in Very Early Acute HIV Infection

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2020 · $644,569

## Abstract

Abstract
HIV is not cured with current therapeutic strategies. This is because of a large reservoir
of cells with HIV proviral DNA that can reactivate and produce new virus. There is a
significant gap in our understanding of the dynamic nature of this reservoir, how is it
formed, what cellular and anatomic compartments are important, and how it is
replenished. We will take advantage of a unique cohort of HIV infected people in
Bangkok, Thailand to address these knowledge gaps. These individuals are identified as
being HIV+ even before seroconversion because they are at high-risk for HIV infection
and are screened frequently. When they are found to be HIV+ they are enrolled into a
prospective study where lymphatic tissues are collected on a longitudinal basis. We will
apply state of the art molecular and in situ technologies to these serial samples to define
the precise size and location of the reservoir and the impact of very early treatment on
reservoir size. For comparison we will study age and sex matched individuals started on
treatment during chronic infection. The ability to study individuals at each Fiebig Stage
of acute infection provides “snapshots” of the reservoir as it is established and will give
us insight into the dynamic nature of its formation, maintenance and replenishment. We
hypothesize that viral reservoirs become established as early as Fiebig 1, that the cell
type supporting the reservoir differs by anatomic location, and that ongoing, persistent
immune activation is a significant factor in its replenishment. These data may point to
new therapeutic targets to control or eradicate the latent reservoir which is a critical step
in the path to a cure of HIV.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9953963
- **Project number:** 5R01AI125127-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** Timothy W Schacker
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $644,569
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-07-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9953963

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9953963, Reservoir Dynamics in Patients Treated in Very Early Acute HIV Infection (5R01AI125127-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9953963. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*