Request for Applications: HIV Cure-Related Research Program in Africa

This Competition is organized and administered by CRDF Global, on behalf of the National Institutes of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Goals and Objectives

• As a result of implementation of grants under this Request for Applications, the following goals and objectives will be pursued:
  • Support HIV cure-related research in areas of Africa in which there is a high proportion of people living with HIV.
  • To expand the understanding of the persistence of non-subtype B HIV in people on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and the mechanisms of post-treatment control of viremia following cessation of ART.

Areas

Applicants should propose projects in the following areas, but not limited to:

• Developing and optimizing assays to quantify the levels of full-length, intact HIV proviral DNA in individuals living with non-subtype B HIV and to determine the proportion of intact, rebound competent, and defective provirus
• Understanding the virology of the rebound-competent persistent proviral HIV reservoir
  • Establishment, tissue and cell type distribution
  • Dynamics, including the clonal proliferation of cells harboring HIV provirus and their decay over time
• Studies of the innate and adaptive immune responses to HIV in people living with non-subtype B on ART and the relation of these responses to the rebound-competent viral reservoir, including the sensitivity of the intact reservoir to circulating autologous antibodies and existing T cell responses
• Frequence and mechanism of post treatment control in for people living with non-subtype B HIV

Funding Information

• This announcement will fund awards of no more than $150,000 per applicant for direct costs for one year.

Duration

• September 3, 2024 – September 3, 2025

Eligibility Criteria

• All applicants and proposals must meet each of the following eligibility criteria:
• Applicants must be associated with a research institution located in Africa, and awards will only be made to African institutions
  • Proposals must include at least one Principal investigator from an institution located in Africa.
  • Collaborative projects involving investigators and institutions from other African sites are encouraged.
  • Collaborative projects involving investigators and institutions from U.S. sites are eligible however, a U.S. partner is not required. U.S. institutions can request up to $25,000 USD of the total proposal budget.
  • Proposals may have up to three sites from different institutions as collaborative teams under the proposal.
• All applicants must submit one proposal.

For more information, visit CRDF Global.