Researchers, can you propose a project to explore HIV cure approaches administered during active HIV/SHIV/SIV infection before or around the time of antiretroviral therapy (ART) or as replacement for conventional ART?
If so, consider applying to the new Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Opportunities for HIV Cure Interventions at the Time of ART Initiation.
Through this NOSI, NIAID seeks a better understanding of the decay dynamics of various virus-infected cell subsets following ART initiation. Longitudinal studies of the viral reservoir early in active infection and immediately after ART initiation will be supported to inform the development of new cure strategies.
The NOSI seeks the following. We encourage you to read the NOSI for additional examples.
Basic Research Activities
- Studies to detect, quantify, and characterize HIV/SIV reservoir seeding in different cell types and tissues at various time points near ART initiation or during therapeutic intervention prior to ART initiation. This includes comparing different HIV subtypes, acute versus chronic infection, humans versus animal models, and different ages and sex of individuals.
- Analyzing the HIV reservoir dynamics, decay rates of various cell types, clonal proliferation, proportion of intact versus defective HIV/SIV, distribution of active versus latent reservoirs, and reactivation potential of latent HIV/SIV at or near the time of ART initiation or during therapeutic intervention prior to ART initiation.
- Characterization of reservoir or immunologic changes in response to interventions delivered at different time points or in place of conventional ART.
Targeted Interventions
- Identifying novel interventions administered prior to or at the initiation of ART that contribute to a reduction in reservoir size, an increased decay rate of the reservoir, or post-treatment control of viral rebound.
- Identifying strategies that could potentially replace ART and lead to long-term viral remission or suppression.
Strategies
- Strategies to eliminate HIV-infected cells.
- Inhibiting latency establishment before/at ART start.
Nonresponsive Applications
Your application will be considered nonresponsive if you:
- Propose interventions that begin more than 1 month after initiation of ART.
- Represent ART intensification strategies alone without including non-ART based interventions.
- Propose to use FDA-approved drugs as “curative interventions” without a rationale for disrupting an HIV-associated pathway and without a mechanistic approach.
- Propose clinical trials; however, using samples from clinical trials supported by other funding mechanisms is encouraged.
Application and Submission Information
This NOSI applies to AIDS and AIDS-related due dates of January 7, 2023, and subsequent due dates through September 7, 2025.
To submit an application, use one of the following funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) or any reissues of the FOAs through this notice’s expiration date:
- PA-20-185—NIH Research Project Grant (Parent R01, Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
- PA-20-195—NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program (Parent R21, Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
You must follow all instructions in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide and include “NOT-AI-22-072” (without quotation marks) in the Agency Routing Identified field (box 4B) of the SF 424 R&R form. Applications without this information in box 4B will not be considered for this NOSI.
Questions?
Contact NIAID’s scientific/research contact Dr. Brigitte Sanders at sandersbe@niaid.nih.gov or 240-627-3209.