The NHLBI HIV/AIDS Program is pleased to announce the new Catalyst Award for Early-Stage Investigators (ESIs) Pursuing Research on HIV Comorbidities, Coinfections, and Complications (DP1- Clinical Trial Optional): https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-23-024.html. The purpose of this PAR is to support research from creative ESIs who propose highly innovative, pioneering studies with potential to open new areas of HIV/AIDS research related to coinfections, comorbidities, and complications (CCCs). Projects should reflect new and novel scientific directions that are distinct from concepts and approaches being pursued in the investigator’s research program or elsewhere. Projects must be consistent with the scientific priorities outlined by the NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR), described most recently in NOT-OD-20-018.

Specifically for NHLBI, we intend to support ESIs performing multi-disciplinary and mechanistic research aimed at deciphering the complexity of HIV-associated CCCs related to heart, lung, blood, and sleep (HLBS) priorities, including interactions between HIV infection, aging, the effect of existing risk factors, and the impact of multiple medication use. High-priority topics will include (but are not limited to) immune activation and chronic inflammation, effects of the microbiome and virome on HIV-associated CCCs, as well as aging and immune-senescence. Examples of projects that are of interest to the NHLBI and responsive to this FOA include (but are not limited to) those that propose to:

• Identify the common drivers of inflammation/chronic immune activation, initiation, and progression of heart, lung, blood, and sleep (HLBS) disorders in the setting of treated HIV infection;
• Studies aiming to understand molecular mechanisms underlying multilevel effects of biological sex on HIV-associated CCCs related to HLBS diseases;
• Characterize the common inflammatory mechanisms linked to multiple heart, lung, blood, sleep (HLBS)-related end-organ diseases;
• Determine the effects of antiretroviral therapy (ART) on lipid biogenesis/homeostasis and identify the effect on inflammatory profiles
• Explore how ongoing, low-level HIV replication in the setting of ART contributes to immune dysfunction
• Determine how the microbiome and virome interact with the host (and vice versa) to affect metabolism and immune response, potentially contributing to HLBS comorbid disease development;
• Explore how long-term ART use affects HLBS-related organ systems;
• Determine how HIV-induced immunosenescence, in combination with normal inflammaging, contributes to HLBS comorbid disease development;
• Identify potential targets for therapeutics development aimed at reducing immune activation/inflammation in the context of HLBS diseases;
• Explore how therapies that impact inflammation/immune activation can reduce the risk of HLBS comorbidities and/or impact HIV cure;

NHLBI expects projects to undertake a "wet bench" approach and will not support projects with a primarily epidemiological focus. In addition, NHLBI will not support clinical trials with this initiative. Please read the full funding opportunity announcement for further details.