PIPages
Labs

Nicholas Metheny

Emory University, GA·Public Health & Epidemiology

Even when HIV medicines keep the virus under control, the body can stay in a state of ongoing, body-wide inflammation. This inflammation drives HIV disease and related health problems.

Fields

Public Health & Epidemiology

Medicine & Clinical Research

Topics

people living with HIV

systemic inflammation

inflammatory biomarkers

Grants
1 known grant, through Jun 2027

What they work on

  1. Test the feasibility and acceptability of remote, self-collected sweat patches for inflammatory biomarkers, compared with dried blood spots and blood draws, among 100 men living with HIV in the ARCHES cohort.
  2. Assess the validity of sweat-derived samples by comparing within-person correlations of inflammatory cytokines, immune signaling proteins, measured in sweat, dried blood spots and blood.
  3. Develop the first protocol for remote collection of sweat-derived inflammatory biomarkers in people living with HIV who use stimulants.

More about the research

It may be worse in people who use stimulants, a behavior that promotes inflammation. Measuring inflammation is hard, though. Blood draws are invasive, dried blood spots vary and contain only small amounts of the target molecules, and saliva is easily contaminated. Sweat may offer a better option. It carries inflammatory markers in proportions similar to blood, and its levels correlate closely with blood levels.

Why it matters

People living with HIV, especially those who use stimulants, could take part in research with less burden if inflammation can be measured from sweat patches mailed home rather than blood draws. A cheaper, more convenient method could widen the range of people included in studies. It could also help researchers judge whether interventions reduce inflammation-related illnesses other than AIDS.

Known grants

From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.

Feasibility, Acceptability, and Validity of Remote Sweat-derived Biomarker Collection

NIH · Jul 2025 – Jun 2027

Closest labs

Kiyomi Tsuyuki

University of California-San Diego, CA·Public Health & Epidemiology

Evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of CHAMPION, which combines the PrEPAPP app with CBT4CBT computer-based cognitive behavioral therapy, among 100 HIV-negative meth-using MSM, measured by retention and engagement against a waitlist control.

Lisa Eaton

University of Connecticut, CT·Public Health & Epidemiology

Enroll 500 HIV-negative Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) who test positive for substance use, and give evidence-based counseling to help them access PrEP, a daily HIV-prevention medicine.

Ayesha Appa

University of California-San Francisco, CA·Medicine & Clinical Research·Early-career

Test the feasibility, acceptability and early effectiveness of long-acting injectable naltrexone, an opioid-blocking drug, for preventing opioid overdose in people who use stimulants, through a randomized trial against a standard harm-reduction bundle.

The school

Emory University: 70 labs on PI Pages, $1.2B a year on research, 286 research doctorates a year.

More about Emory University

Reach out

A start for your email. Fill in the brackets.