A team of researchers at UF, the University of South Florida and the University of California, San Diego were awarded $4.7 million by the National Institutes of Health to study the effects of marijuana use on youths with HIV infection.
According to a UF press release, the team will conduct a five-year study will have researchers looking at how substance abuse changes immune function and the progression of HIV infection in the brain.
“Findings from this study could translate into better diagnosis tools and new therapies to improve long-term outcomes for young adults infected with HIV,” said principal investigator Maureen Goodenow, a UF College of Medicine professor.
Using a technique called systems biology, UF virologists will study the effects of marijuana on HIV-free and HIV-infected white blood cells.
