Siyakhula: Growing HIV/TB Research Knowledge for Growing Healthy Kids in Eswatini

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Program Summary/Abstract The Eswatini-Baylor Children’s Foundation, University of of Eswatini (UNESWA) and Baylor College of Medicine will conduct health research training in HIV and Tuberculosis (TB) induced premature aging in conjunction with the existing D43 “Siyakhula” training program. Supplemental funds will support integration of premature aging research training within all aspects of Siyakhula including mentorship, pilot project development and implementation, and implementation of novel methods to measure and document post- infectious premature aging. The additional training will be seamlessly integrated into the existing conference series and applied research training program and introduce additional complementary capacity building activities. Despite successful antiretrovirals for HIV/AIDS and despite successful antibiotics for TB, there remains increased morbidity and mortality and 5-12 years of premature aging. This one year supplemental funding proposal will collaborate with researchers in Tanzania (Drs. Mkunde Chachage and Lucy Mrema) to share their experiences and mentor Eswatini researchers in inflammaging and the detrimental bidirectional effects on diabetes and HIV on premature aging. Dr. Fred Moonga (UNESWA) will provide lectures and mentorship on social factors leading to premature aging. From BCM, Drs. Moran and DiNardo will provide lectures and mentorship in nutrition across the lifespan and epigenetic mechanisms of premature aging, respectively. The supplement will fund five to eight of the top pilot projects to help train Eswatini researchers in HIV induced premature aging-related projects. Key projects will be chosen to focus on integrating HIV/AIDS with non- communicable diseases, to document the ill effects of premature aging. Similarly, key projects that help transfer technology to measure premature epigenetic aging (telomere qPCR, DNA methylation) or document the ill effects between malnutrition and premature aging (cutaneous carotenoid or mass-spectroscopy based nutritional methods). The projects will address the multidimensional means by which HIV/AIDS and TB induce premature aging, and train Eswatini researchers how to measure and begin to mitigate premature aging.