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NIH awards $1.5 million grant to research oral complications of HIV
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With the support of a 5-year $1.59 million NIH grant, researchers from Case Western Reserve University will target chronic inflammation in the mouth and throat commonly caused by HIV treatment that makes eating painful and can weaken the immune system, according to a press release.
“Restoring balance to an immune system is key after being altered by HIV and medications,” Pushpa Pandiyan, PhD, assistant professor of biological sciences at the Case Western Reserve School of Dental Medicine, and lead researcher, said in the release. “Otherwise, a person’s natural defenses can sometimes be too aggressive, especially in vulnerable areas like the gums and other oral tissues.”
Researchers aim to identify the origin of cells they suspect may promote inflammation using oral and throat tissues from HIV–positive patients taking antiretroviral drugs. Because immune cells can interact with HIV treatments in unpredictable ways, researchers will focus on understanding the erratic mechanisms within regulatory T cells, which result in too few or too many of these cells.
They hope to find ways to replenish these beneficial white blood cells while reducing the harmful ones such as pathogens, known as ‘turncoat cells,’ which can manipulate regulatory T cells into prolonged inflammation that damages tissues. Pandiyan and colleagues will build on previous findings, including research that saw how specific T cells can be manipulated outside the body to boost or suppress proteins that help the cells’ survival and can be reinserted to help balance immune responses. The investigators believe this research could potentially lead to new ways to fight HIV–related diseases.
“Our bodies have many fine-tuned switches that keep defenses optimal,” Pandiyan said. “The more we understand the mechanisms of these switches, and how they behave under a variety of circumstances, the better we can wish to control them to improve health.
Disclosures: Pandiyan reports no relevant financial disclosures.
* Photo credit: Case Western Reserve University