HIV and Aging SWG

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT HIV and Aging SWG (SWG_1) The long-term objective of the Harvard University Center for AIDS Research (HU CFAR) HIV and Aging Scientific Working Group (SWG) is to collaborate with the Boston Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (a.k.a. Boston Pepper Center) to 1) build and enable an interactive, community-engaged network to accelerate discovery of mechanisms and biomarkers for decline in immune and physical function in people aging with HIV (PLWH), 2) create a resource infrastructure to support cross-disciplinary proposals related to HIV and aging, and 3) mentor Early Career Investigators (ECI). These goals will be achieved by leveraging unique clinical and basic resources and expertise available to the HU CFAR and the Boston Pepper Center. Since the Boston Pepper Center represents a consortium of investigators focused on aging across multiple institutions, this SWG will catalyze and enable HU CFAR research. The HIV and Aging SWG is responsive to the Office of AIDS Research strategic plan which lists, “Premature Aging and Frailty” as a high research priority and was identified as a priority research area by our community advisory members. Aim 1 will identify and engage community members and investigators with research interests at the interface of HIV and aging and convene activities that include an inaugural workshop and a jointly-sponsored (Pepper and CFAR) seminar series to facilitate productive interactions and will sponsor a town-hall style meeting to identify priority research areas and gaps in care among PLWH. Aim 2 will build an infrastructure to provide access to HU CFAR and Pepper Center expertise and resources to enable collaborative studies. Core service outreach will include physical function assessment (Pepper) and Advanced Lab Technologies Core services (CFAR). Aim 3 will collaborate with the HU CFAR Developmental and Mentoring Core to develop co-sponsored pilot grants that target ECIs. The RFA will emphasize use of core services from both centers, as well as encourage outreach to investigators from both centers and use of resources in faculty laboratories. We will create an internal grant review process to provide guidance and feedback on ECI-initiated proposals.