Project description
Mapping HIV transcriptional activity
HIV remains a major global health challenge affecting approximately 38 million people worldwide. While antiretroviral therapy controls the virus effectively, it cannot eliminate silent viral reservoirs that persist in immune cells and regenerate infection if treatment stops. Understanding what determines whether these dormant viruses remain silent or become reactivated is critical for developing a cure. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the DELTA-HIV project applies cutting-edge transcriptomic approaches to map HIV transcriptional activity at unprecedented resolution. By characterising viral and host gene expression dynamics in primary immune cell models and samples from people living with HIV, the project aims to identify predictive markers of viral reactivation and inform next-generation HIV cure strategies.
Objective
DELTA-HIV (Defining the Landscape of Transcriptional Activity during HIV-1 Infection) addresses a central barrier to curing HIV: the persistence of transcriptionally silent but reactivatable proviruses in latently infected CD4⁺ T cells. Current cure strategies have limited efficacy, in part because transcriptional competence is poorly defined and standard assays rely on indirect, steady-state RNA measurements that miss early or abortive activity. This Fellowship will apply nascent transcriptomic approaches, specifically PRO-Seq, to resolve HIV-1 transcriptional dynamics at nucleotide resolution. Three interlinked work packages will: (1) map host and viral nascent transcription during infection and define how accessory proteins (Vpu/Vpr) rewire RNA polymerase II activity; (2) quantify Pol II dynamics at integrated proviruses in primary CD4⁺ latency models to identify predictive markers of reactivation; and (3) benchmark the rebound potential of latent reservoirs in people living with HIV (PLWH) using paired nascent and mRNA-Seq with integration-normalised analysis. DELTA-HIV directly addresses key knowledge gaps, seeking to refine biomarker discovery, inform therapeutic targeting, and advance global HIV cure strategies in line with Horizon Europe’s goals to reduce the burden of infectious disease.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences health sciences infectious diseases viral diseases RNA viruses HIV
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics RNA
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
WC2R 2LS London
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.