NHLBI HIV/AIDS Program

Tremendous progress in the treatment of HIV has led to increased survival and a dramatic evolution in the understanding of the disease. Trends over the past decades reveal that overall, individuals are living longer with HIV. As a result, the challenges have now shifted from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS—the most advanced stage of the HIV infection—to other chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), and chronic anemia. Multiple studies have shown that people with HIV have a significantly higher risk of developing heart, lung, and blood conditions and that these conditions may develop earlier in people with HIV compared to the general population.

The NHLBI HIV/AIDS Program has funded a wide range of HIV-related heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders research, including the following: 

• Centers for AIDS Research to provide expertise and resources for high-quality, multidisciplinary AIDS research
• Genetic Engineering Technologies for HIV Cure Research to develop cell and gene therapies, including hematopoietic stem cell transplants, as well as nontraditional antiviral strategies to cure HIV-1, the most widespread type of HIV
• Heart, Lung, and Blood Co-morbiditieS Implementation Models in People Living with HIV (HLB-SIMPLe) to optimally and sustainably deliver proven-effective prevention and treatment interventions for heart, lung, blood, and sleep comorbid diseases and disorders in people with HIV in World Bank designated low- and middle-income countries and Small Island Developing States.
• Implementation Research to Develop Interventions for People Living with HIV (PRECluDE) to catalyze implementation research on proven-effective interventions for co-occurring heart, lung, blood, and sleep (HLBS) diseases and conditions among people with HIV. These discoveries will fully implement guideline-based practices, late-stage T4 translation research, and implementation science strategies that address barriers impeding the scale-up and application of guideline-based interventions in community and clinical settings for the prevention, treatment, and control of co-morbid HLBS diseases and conditions for people with HIV.
• Investigating HIV-Associated Lung Disease (INHALD) network to better understand the cellular and molecular events underlying HIV-associated lung diseases. While the study itself has ended, data and specimens can be requested for research purposes here.
• Lung HIV Microbiome Project (LHMP) to assess the lung microbiome in people who have and do not have HIV. People with HIV are at high risk for developing pneumonia and have reduced lung function after pneumonia—an aftereffect not seen in people who do not have HIV. Data and specimens for this study can be requested through BioLINCC.
• Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS)/Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) Combined Cohort Study (MACS/WIHS-CSS) to advance HIV science and reduce the impact of chronic health conditions that affect people with HIV
• Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS) to assess the safety of HIV treatment in children 
• Randomized Trial to Prevent Vascular Events in HIV (REPRIEVE) study to inform clinical approaches to prevent cardiovascular disease in people with HIV

View funding information for the NHLBI HIV/AIDS Program. 

The NHLBI encourages researchers to utilize existing NIH clinical/observational cohorts, biological specimens, databases (such as dbGaP), or imaging banks whenever possible for HIV-related heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders research. Investigators interested in utilizing data and stored samples from NHLBI studies can submit a request through the NHLBI Biologic Specimen and Data Repository Information Coordinating Center (BioLINCC). In addition, the MACS/WIHS Combined Cohort Study Data Analysis and Coordinating Center handles requests for data and biospecimens related to the Combined Cohort Study.

The following are HIV/AIDS research resources that the NIH Office of AIDS Research provides. 

• Strategic Plan for Trans-NIH Plan for HIV-Related Research 
• NIH HIV/AIDS Online Resources 
• NIH HIV/AIDS Research Priorities and Guidelines for Determining HIV/AIDS Funding

This trans-NHLBI program funds innovative research that responds to the evolving challenges of HIV. The NHLBI HIV/AIDS Team coordinates all HIV-related research in heart, lung, blood, and sleep, including translation research and implementation science. The NHLBI held working group meetings starting in 2012 to identify research priorities. The Institute has since developed various initiatives to support research targeting HIV-related priorities.

Contact information for NHLBI HIV/AIDS Program team members is available in the areas of heart, lung, blood, and sleep research; biostatistics; clinical research; translation research; implementation science; and grant management.