Unraveling the intersection of substance use, inflammation, and HIV via hair levels
Description: PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE/ PROJECT NARRATIVE Substance use and HIV have linked throughout history, from the first described cases of HIV/AIDS in the 1980s among men who have sex with men (MSM) also using psychostimulants through the present day, which is why it is so important to study the intersection of substance use and HIV. However, self‐reported substance use and the number of substances used is not always accurate and measures to quantitate substance use in hair samples are more objective and can be correlated with clinical outcomes, including HIV risk, HIV outcomes, and inflammation. Our laboratory at UCSF (the Hair Analytical Laboratory) has been analyzing HIV medications in hair samples for over two decades and proposes in this application to direct that expertise into developing hair assays for substances in order to 1) become a reference laboratory to provide hair assays of substances to groups studying substance use and HIV; 2) analyze hair substance use levels in a cohort study of MSM who use substances in relationship to self‐reported use, urine toxicology screens, and clinical outcomes for those at risk of or living with HIV; 3) assess the contribution of substance use as measured in hair with chronic inflammation.
Funder: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Funding type: research
Funder scheme: R01
Start date: 2023-07-01
End date: 2028-05-31
Investigator: MONICA GANDHI
Institution: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
Funded outputs count: 12
Funder award ID: R01DA059291
OpenAlex ID: G9000856471