HIV infection of the central nervous system

Viral persistence, inflammation and neuronal injury
Our research examines how HIV affects the central nervous system and how antiretroviral treatment influences the infection and the host response. We investigate the relationships between viral persistence, immune activation and neuronal injury, using clinical information together with virological, immunological and neurochemical analyses. An important part of this work is the evaluation of biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid and blood. These studies help us characterise inflammation and neuronal injury, follow changes over time and assess the effects of treatment. We also investigate CNS viral reservoirs and their implications for strategies aimed at achieving HIV cure.

The Gothenburg HIV CSF Study Cohort
The Gothenburg HIV CSF Study Cohort was initiated by Lars Hagberg and Gunnar Norkrans in 1985. It combines longitudinal clinical information with paired cerebrospinal fluid and blood samples collected over four decades. This resource enables studies of HIV infection before and during antiretroviral treatment, including changes in viral activity, immune responses and markers of neuronal injury. Linking clinical follow-up with analyses of stored samples allows us to address new research questions using material collected across different stages of infection and treatment.

Related biobank research
The group also studies the effects of COVID-19 on the central nervous system using the Sahlgrenska COVID-19 Biobank. Established in March 2020, the biobank provides longitudinal biological samples and clinical information for studies of immune responses, nervous system injury and long-term outcomes.

Other research
The group also participates in REAL-AD, investigating possible associations between viral infections and Alzheimer’s disease. We are also involved in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of host genetic factors associated with disease outcomes in mpox and Ebola.

Main collaborators
HIV: Richard W. Price, University of California, San Francisco; Paola Cinque, San Raffaele, Milan; Serena Spudich, Yale University; Ronald Swanstrom, Sarah Joseph and Laura Kincer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Host genetics: Hugo Zeberg, Karolinska Institutet and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Svante Pääbo and Gunnar Neumann, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Placide Mbala-Kingebeni, Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum, Jean-Claude Makangara Cigolo and Tony Wawina Bokalanga, collaborating institutions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including the University of Kinshasa and the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale. DNA methylation: Maria Lerm, Linköping University.