# Impact of cross-reactive CD8 T cells on HIV-1 viral control and evolution

> **NIH NIH F30** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2020 · $46,069

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The purpose of this NIH F30 application is to obtain support for the PI, Sushma Boppana, for mentored research
and career development activities within her MD/PhD degree training that will strengthen her potential to become
a successful physician scientist. The project goal is to develop skills in immunology that will allow the PI to study
CD8 cross-reactivity in acute HIV-1 infection using cutting edge laboratory assays and computational techniques.
The primary objective of the research proposal is to investigate the impact of cross-reactive CD8 responses in
acute HIV-1 infection on viral control and evolution. CD8 T cells play a critical role in viral control during HIV-1
infection and are likely to be an important component of future effective cure therapies. However, the viral latent
reservoir represents a major obstacle to achieving functional or complete cure in HIV-1. This reservoir is now
known to encode significant numbers of escape mutations, and it is possible that CD8 T cells therapeutically
directed towards clearing HIV-1 in infected individuals will need to recognize multiple variants of the same
epitopes; in other words, they will need to be cross-reactive. This project seeks to quantify the amount of CD8
cross-reactivity seen in acute infection, to characterize the functionality of these responses, and to establish the
impact of these cross-reactive responses on viral control (Aim 1). This proposal will also determine the
contribution of individual TCR clonotypes to the overall cross-reactivity of the CD8 responses seen in Aim 1 and
will elucidate the impact of CD8 cross-reactivity on viral evolution by correlating cross-reactive responses to
diminished viral diversity (Aim 2). The long-term objective of our research is to better understand the role of
cross-reactive CD8 T cells in HIV-1 such that future cure strategies can more effectively manipulate the CD8
response to clear a variant-encoding latent reservoir.
The proposed training plan for the PI is sponsored by her PhD mentor, Dr. Paul Goepfert. Included in the training
plan are experiences that will help the PI develop in three major areas: 1) rigorous immunological research in
HIV-1, including developing familiarity with the existing literature, critically evaluating published studies, and
training in principles of scientific integrity, responsible conduct of research, and rigor and reproducibility; 2)
competence in bioinformatic techniques and biostatistical analysis; and 3) career and professional development,
including grant writing, journal article review, clear communication through presentation and manuscript
preparation, and translation of research findings to clinical application. The overall goal of this training plan is to
provide the PI with a solid foundation for a successful career as a physician scientist, with the ultimate career
goal of leading a collaborative research team that bridges the gap between laboratory-based human immunology
resear...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9983571
- **Project number:** 5F30AI140829-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Sushma Boppana
- **Activity code:** F30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $46,069
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-01 → 2023-03-25

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9983571

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9983571, Impact of cross-reactive CD8 T cells on HIV-1 viral control and evolution (5F30AI140829-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9983571. Licensed CC0.

---

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