DHHS/National Institutes of Health: HIV/HCV Co-Infections in Substance Abusers

Deadline: 7 January 2018

The Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health is seeking applications for its program entitled “HIV/HCV Co-Infections in Substance Abusers” to to fill gaps in understanding of:

the impact of substance abuse on HIV, HIV/HCV co-infection associated disease progression,
the pathogenic interactions between HIV and hepatitis C virus,
hepatic and non-hepatic co-morbidities associated with HIV/HCV-co-infections in people with substance abuse disorders (SUDs),
the effectiveness of interferon-free direct acting antiviral (DAAs) drug regimens to treat HIV/HCV co-infections in people with SUDs.

Funding Information

Estimated Total Program Funding: $3,000,000

Specific Areas of Research Interest

Study if HIV/HCV co-morbidity, pathogenesis and disease progression is impacted by substance abuse;
Study non-hepatic consequences (neurocognitive, cardiovascular, metabolic) of HIV/HCV co-infections among SUDs;
Study if HIV/HCV treatment effectiveness with DAAs drug regimens is impacted by substance abuse;
Develop strategies to maximize access to and engagement of at-risk populations in HCV/HIV treatment, including strategies to optimize treatment adherence, particularly with newer antiviral or antiretroviral regimens;
Study the effect of HCV eradication and regression of fibrosis on risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma in HIV/HCV infected SUDs;
Study the rates of hepatic fibrosis following SVR achievement among HIV/HCV co-infected SUDs.
Determine whether HIV/HCV co-infections worsen health including liver function through dysbiosis in the gut microbiome among people with SUDs; determine if alterations in the gut microbiome-associated microbial translocation impacts on HIV/HCV disease progression among people with SUDs;
Study interactions between alcohol and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and HIV/HCV coinfections and liver disease in SUDs;
Study the HIV and HCV virome-associated medical consequences among people with SUDs;
Develop a vaccine to prevent re-infection HCV among people with SUDs;
Develop techniques/methods to quantify intrahepatic drug concentrations in whole liver and within hepatic sub-compartments of people with SUDs co-infected with HIV and HCV;
Study drug-drug interactions among antiretroviral, DAAs, drugs of abuse, and medications used to treat substance dependence, and the best practices for managing them;
Study the effect of hepatic insufficiency (e.g., from hepatic fibrosis, cirrhosis) on antiviral drugs and addiction treatment medications’ disposition in HIV/HCV co-infected SUDs;
Develop non-invasive methods to assess the impact of hepatic insufficiency on drug metabolism in dually infected SUDs;
Develop point-of-care assays for samples other than blood for assessment of HIV/HCV co-infections as well as hepatic function;
Determine if DAA drugs have penetrated sufficiently into the community to reduce the burden of liver disease and non-liver related clinical disorders among dually (HIV/HCV)-infected drug abusers;
Develop novel approaches (e.g., telehealth, mobile health) for linking SUDs to curative treatment of HIV/HCV co-infections and maintain them at effective SVR rates;
Develop strategies/models of linking people with SUDs with co-infections to integrative and successful treatment and maintaining them at effective SVR rates beyond treatment.

Eligibility Criteria

Higher Education Institutions
- Public/State Controlled Institutions of Higher Education
- Private Institutions of Higher Education
Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education
- Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
- Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other than Institutions of Higher Education)
For-Profit Organizations
- Small Businesses
- For-Profit Organizations (Other than Small Businesses)
Governments
- State Governments
- County Governments
- City or Township Governments
- Special District Governments
- Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
- Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (Other than Federally Recognized)
- Eligible Agencies of the Federal Government
- U.S. Territory or Possession
Other
- Independent School Districts
- Public Housing Authorities/Indian Housing Authorities
- Native American Tribal Organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- Faith-based or Community-based Organizations
- Regional Organizations
- Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions)
Foreign Institutions
- Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are eligible to apply.
- Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to apply.
- Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.