Advanced Technology-Core

Project Summary Advanced Technology Core (ATC) As part of the Midwest D-CFAR, the Advanced Technology Core (ATC) will develop, support, and enhance the impact of basic and translational HIV investigators to accelerate progress in priority areas of HIV research and translate research discoveries into improvements in human health. The research enterprise at Washington University (WashU) and Saint Louis University (SLU) is an enormous asset to our growing HIV-investigator community. WashU and SLU received $658.1 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health in 2022. They have a wealth of state-of-the-art core services and a large group of highly trained, highly successful investigators working in disciplines that intersect HIV priority areas, such as microbial pathogenesis, immunology, neuroscience, and inflammatory, metabolic, and cardiovascular diseases. Our outstanding HIV basic and translational scientists are poised for growth, and the ATC will leverage the scientific resources at WashU/SLU and bring together experienced and early-career HIV-focused researchers and non-HIV investigators to drive innovative discovery and translation. The ATC will be led by accomplished basic and translational science investigators and institutional leaders, Drs. Liang Shan and George Kyei. The ATC will contribute to the overall D-CFAR objectives through the establishment of three new units: the Consultation Service Unit (CSU), the Virology Research Unit (VRU), and the Technology Accessibility Unit (TAU). These units will: (1) provide consultation services to foster mentorship and collaborative, multidisciplinary HIV- focused basic research on HIV reservoirs, cure strategy, and HIV-associated comorbidities and coinfections, (2) provide training, reagents, and experimental services for basic and translational HIV research, and (3) provide cost-effective access to state-of-the-art technology in sequencing, imaging, immunophenotyping, and drug discovery. Emerging HIV investigators will be eligible for preferred rates, pilot funds, and microgrants to access cutting-edge technology and ATC services. In addition, we will enhance basic and translational research by providing researchers with access to highly experienced investigators conducting translational research and clinical trials, thereby promoting the development and optimization of novel interventions. Finally, by engaging the sizeable non-HIV-focused research base, the ATC will bring new ideas and approaches to studies focused on HIV cure and HIV-associated comorbidities and coinfections. In summary, the ATC will reduce roadblocks and expand the reach of HIV investigation at WashU and SLU to contribute to the end of the HIV epidemic.