University of North Carolina Awarded $1.7 Million to Curb the Spread of HIV in State

With a $1.7 million CDC grant, North Carolina researchers will evaluate new HIV testing technology to track the spread of the virus during the initial weeks of infection.

Researchers from the UNC Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases will use fourth-generation tests to identify HIV infection before the development of antibodies, a period of up to 12 weeks. In this stage, called acute HIV infection (AHI), the virus replicates rapidly and the possibility of transmission is high.

"We believe that a significant proportion of HIV transmission by the sexual route is driven by AHI," said Peter Leone, MD, MPH, co-principal investigator and UNC professor of medicine. "Identifying individuals with AHI could have a significant positive impact on the spread of the virus."

The investigators hope the results of the tests will point to social networks where there is a high risk for HIV transmission. The researchers will use the networks themselves, Internet-based notifications, and text messaging to disseminate prevention information and partner notifications.

"The anonymity of the Internet can limit the ability to perform partner notification by traditional means," said Lisa Hightow-Weidman, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine at UNC and a co-principal investigator.

Other sites funded for this four-year study are the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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