HIV and Cardiovascular Disease
 | HIV and Cardiovascular DiseaseProject leader: Prof Jennifer Hoy
Phone: +61 3 9076 6900 Email: Jennifer.Hoy@monash.edu |
Overview
Cardiovascular disease has now become one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in people living with HIV, who have a 2-fold increased risk when compared with the general population.
This elevated risk is likely due to a complex interplay between the increased incidence of traditional cardiac risk factors, the effects of ARV medications and the pro-inflammatory actions of HIV itself.
A number of projects are being undertaken to better understand the contributions of lipid abnormalities, chronic inflammation and platelet function in the observed increased risk of atherosclerosis and clinical CVD events.
Lipidomic analysis is being performed on stored samples collected during prospective randomised trials in HIV positive patients. This will allow us to characterise the lipid profile associated with HIV infection and compare this with non-HIV infected healthy controls, while also determining the change in lipid profile induced by different ARV drug classes. We will also be able to characterise the effect of common cholesterol lowering medications on the lipid profile of HIV positive patients receiving ARV therapy.
Abacavir, a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor used as an important backbone to contemporary combination antiretroviral regimens, has been associated with increased cardiovascular events. The pathogenesis is unknown. There is a suggestion that increased platelet reactivity may be involved. A study of platelet function in HIV patients before, during and after abacavir administration is being performed.
HIV infection is associated with increased immune activation and inflammation, both of which are involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Statins have an anti-inflammatory action. We are performing a placebo-controlled trial of rosuvastatin in HIV patients with intermediate risk for cardiovascular disease (who do not qualify for statin use under current PBS criteria) to determine whether there is a significant reduction in progression of atherosclerosis.
Understanding the effect of HIV (and in particular the nef protein) and Antiretroviral drugs on Reverse Cholesterol Transport and HDL metabolism is being performed in a prospective study if HIV patients followed over 3 years.
Information for Students: Research Opportunities
Opportunities exist within our group to pursue BMedSc, Honours and PhD projects.
Please see below for project and contact details, or download the Department of Infectious Diseases Research Project Handout.
Research Project: HIV and Cardiovascular Disease
Contact person: Prof Jennifer Hoy
Phone: +61 3 9076 6900
Email: Jennifer.Hoy@monash.edu
or
Contact person: Dr Janine Trevillyan
Phone: +61 419 743 720
Email: Janine.trevillyan@monash.edu
All other student inquiries:
Please contact Jasminka Sterjovski (Research Manager and Student Co-ordinator)
Email: jasminka.sterjovski@monash.edu.au
Collaborators:
Prof Peter Meikle – Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
Prof Tony Dart – Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
Prof Dmitri Sviridov – Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
Prof Anthony Jawarowski/Prof Suzanne Crowe – Burnet Institute
Dr Alexandra Calmy – Infectious Diseases Department/HIV Unit, Hopiteaux Univesitaires de Geneve, Geneva, Switzerland
Other links:
Alfred Staff profile: http://www.alfredhealth.org.au/id/staff#3