![Illicit Drug Use and HIV-1 Latency]()
The National Institute of Drug Abuse has awarded Vinayaka Prasad, Ph.D., and Ganjam Kalpana, Ph.D., a five-year, $3.1 million grant to study whether illicit drugs facilitate creation of reservoirs of HIV-1-infected cells in the central nervous system or reactivate the existing latent HIV-1 in CNS reservoirs. HIV-1’s ability to remain dormant in brain cells and other cells has hindered efforts to cure HIV-1 infection. Lack of knowledge on the effect of drug abuse on these cellular reservoirs has also stood in the way of cure. Dr. Kalpana’s team in collaboration with the lab of Robert Singer, Ph.D., developed a novel single-cell-based assay for studying reactivation of latent reservoirs. Using this novel assay, the Kalpana and Prasad laboratories will study how illicit drugs affect the establishment and reactivation of CNS cells that contain latent HIV-1. The assay may also help in devising strategies for eliminating these infected cells. Dr. Prasad is professor of microbiology & immunology. Dr. Kalpana is professor of genetics and of microbiology & immunology, and is the Mark Trauner Faculty Scholar in Neuro-oncology. (1R01DA043169-01)
Posted on: Thursday, November 03, 2016