Funding News - Applications for Research on HIV Pathogenesis in Women Sought

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) invites, along with 7 other components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH),* applications for research studies on HIV pathogenesis in women using the Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS).

HIV infection in women is increasing globally. Last year, women accounted for more than 45 percent of the approximately 36 million people estimated to be living with AIDS worldwide. Marked gender differences may exist in HIV disease progression, response to antiretroviral therapy, and complications of therapy. Furthermore, women with HIV/AIDS suffer from a variety of conditions unique to women. Studies of HIV/AIDS in women can play an important role in testing new biological or sociobehavioral hypotheses at the population level, and in linking basic science findings and laboratory methods to epidemiologically well-defined populations and communities. WIHS-a multicenter, prospective study-was established in 1993 to carry out comprehensive investigations of the impact of HIV infection in women.

Examples of potential areas of research include studies on: the pathogenesis of central and peripheral nervous system abnormalities caused directly or indirectly by HIV infection in HIV-positive women; the role of genetic factors, immune status, and hormonal function in women at risk for AIDS-related neurological disorders; the molecular basis of HIV infection and disease progression in women in the antiretroviral era; endocrinological factors, HIV expression, and disease progression; interactions between pregnancy and HIV infection; fertility-related behaviors among HIV-seropositive women; direct and indirect effects of drug use and associated infection co-morbidities; and the in vivo role and mechanism of action of oral antiviral factors.

For more information, potential applicants should contact Dr. A.P. Kerza-Kwiatecki, Neural Environment Cluster, NINDS, Neuroscience Center, 6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 2115, Bethesda, MD 20892; telephone: (301) 496-1431; fax: (301) 402-2060; e-mail: ak45w@nih.gov.

*For a full list of supporting NIH components and a more detailed description of this program announcement, please visit the NIH web site at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-01-084.html.