Unraveling the intersection of substance use, inflammation, and HIV

Grant: R01 DA059291

Overview: This study investigates the intersections of substance use, inflammation, and HIV
among high-risk populations, particularly through the innovative use of hair analysis to measure
long-term substance exposure. In collaboration with the UCSF Hair Analytical Laboratory (HAL)
and UCLA’s mSTUDY cohort, the project aims to develop a multi-substance hair panel to
quantify polysubstance use, providing more objective metrics than self-reported data. Key goals
include validating these methods, examining correlations between hair substance levels and
other adherence measures (such as urine toxicology screens), and analyzing the impact of
substance use on HIV-related inflammation biomarkers, offering a deeper understanding of how
substance use influences both HIV outcomes and systemic inflammation.