Slowing Aging Across the Lifespan for Persons with HIV
Scientific Working Group

The Slowing AgIng Across the Lifespan for Persons with HIV Scientific Working Group (SAIL HIV SWG) aims to advance research that helps people living with HIV (PLWH) undergo healthy aging – or living longer, and healthier lives. The SAIL HIV SWG seeks to collaborate with long-term survivors in Chicago, including those participating in The Reunion Project, to help define the needs of the community. Once defined, these goals will be advanced by working with the vibrant geroscience community including researchers focused on PLWH.

These collaborations and resources will empower the SAIL HIV SWG to catalyze a new focus on understanding how the “hallmarks of aging” are perturbed in PLWH to inform discovery and development of interventions countering augmented/accelerated biological aging and, thereby, all non-AIDS comorbidities.

The SAIL HIV SWG goals will be accomplished through three specific aims and accompanying activities:

Aim 1: Partner PLWH, HIV researchers and aging experts new to HIV to define SAIL HIV SWG research priorities and learn about relevant research resources across Chicago.

Activities:

• Build SAIL HIV SWG membership by collaborating with The Reunion Project’s Executive Director, Jeff Berry, the TC CFAR’s Steering Committee, and aging experts interested in HIV research.
• Hold regular sessions (“convenings”) initially focused on connecting PLWH community members with HIV researchers, subsequent “fact-finding” seminars highlighting resources available to SAIL HIV SWG members across the TC CFAR cores and then inviting aging expert leaders interested in PLWH from TC CFAR partner institutions to join the sessions.

Aim 2: Build collaborating teams and enhance their access to research resources enabling SAIL HIV SWG-prioritized research on prolonging health span of PLWH.

Activities:

• Host research seminars with investigators from different scientific perspectives (laboratory, clinical, implementation, and community-engaged research) and different TC CFAR partner institutions.
• Work with SAIL HIV SWG members to enhance access to resources for aging and co-morbidities research provided by the TC CFAR cores.

Aim 3: Develop and support NIH HIV research proposals by SAIL HIV SWG collaborative teams on prioritized research topics.

Activities:

• Identify and disseminate funding opportunities relevant for SAIL HIV SWG priority research topics.
• Enable the TC CFAR’s Developmental Core SWG Collaboration Awards that will generate preliminary data on SAIL HIV SWG priority research topics.
• Support all stages of the NIH application lifecycle for proposals on SAIL HIV SWG priority research topics, including critiquing drafts of NIH applications at “PI clubs” and providing reviewers for mock study sections run by the TC CFAR’s Developmental Core.
• Co-host research seminars with the TC CFAR’s Administrative Core featuring internally- or externally- funded SAIL HIV SWG teams to present their results.

Participation

Local established faculty, early stage investigators, and trainees focused on HIV research, aging experts interested in HIV, or long-term survivors living with HIV can participate in the SAIL HIV SWG. If you are interested in getting involved, please complete the SAIL HIV SWG Membership Form.

Contact Angel Aviña with questions about the SAIL HIV SWG.

Leadership

Sahera Dirajlal-Fargo, DO
Co-Director
Expertise: Infectious Diseases in Children and Adolescents
Northwestern University and Lurie Children’s Hospital

Ryan Ross, PhD
Co-Director
Expertise: Musculoskeletal Health in People Living with HIV
RUSH University