The shared grant with UAB funds research to determine impact of cocaine in accelerating HIV-1 progression in humans.
With HIV/AIDS continuing to ravage humankind, seeking scientific answers to help diminish its adverse affects on those afflicted with it is paramount to alleviating its destructive reign on humans. A Montgomery scientist will soon be researching whether cocaine use accelerates the impact of the deadly HIV disease, which is the basis of a National Institute of Drug Abuse two-year grant of $414,000 that is to be jointly shared between an Alabama State University (ASU) virologist and faculty members at the University of Alabama - Birmingham (UAB).
ASU's scientist involved with this all important issue is Dr. Qiana L. Matthews, who will serve as a principal investigator for the joint effort. She said the research she plans on leading will help scientists and medical personnel better understand the condition and disorders related to it, which hopefully will get the medical world closer to a cure.
The Montgomery university's portion of the $414,074 grant totals $207,037, which will facilitate cutting-edge training and research in ASU’s College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (C-STEM). More specifically, the grant will fund research to determine the impact of cocaine in accelerating HIV-1 progression in cells of the central nervous system.
"Although great strides have been made in treating the HIV epidemic, the resulting increased lifespan of AIDS patients has given rise to HIV- associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) and HIV-associated dementia,” Matthews said.
She believes that many drugs of abuse such as cocaine and psychostimulants such as Adderall (the brand name of a prescription medication used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adults) are associated with increased HIV-1 infection. Both are highly abused in HIV-infected populations in the U.S.
"These types of psychostimulant abusers are one of the fastest growing populations of HIV-infected patients," Matthews added. "HIV-infected, drug-abusing individuals may experience more severe and faster-progressing HIV-1-related neurological impairment,” she said.
Matthews contends that there could plausibly be enhanced central nervous system entry of HIV-1 in individuals who use cocaine. She said if her hypothesis between psychostimulant abuse and HIV is correct, increased knowledge in this area would be an important avenue in better understanding and combating the disease.
"This research is necessary with the increasing numbers of persons abusing drugs,” Matthews said. “The grant will allow me to further expand my research program from HIV-1 vaccine development to HIV-1 pathogenesis (the manner of development of a disease). The project funded by this grant award also will allow Matthews to train students in virology, which is the branch of science that deals with the study of viruses.
“This research will strengthen ASU’s environment by exposing its C-STEM students to a research area and research techniques that are unique to ASU,” Matthews said. “This training will give these ASU students a perspective on what an academic career in microbiology entails,” Matthews added.
The ASU virologist said the grant also will significantly expand ASU’s research and educational capacity by allowing the University's C-STEM students to team-up with other researchers at UAB.
“This collaboration will allow students to interact with Dr. Brian Sims (co-investigator) at UAB, and a wealth of other mentors at The University of Alabama at Birmingham that have unique expertise,” Matthews said.
Posted By: Reginald Culpepper
Thursday, March 29th 2018 at 7:32PM
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