This study was terminated by the sponsor 3/20/2025

Studies of sex and gender differences in the mechanistic pathways driving immune responses to infection, pathologic inflammation and control of the HIV reservoir are critical to the development of novel therapeutic interventions. In this proposal, we investigate both biological sex and female gender identity to disentangle their contributions to immune pathology. Specifically, we will work with the extensive genomic and clinical data in the International Collaboration for the Genomics of HIV (ICGH) dataset to analyze genetic determinants of HIV disease progression on the sex chromosomes and in a sex stratified analysis of the autosomes. We will also work with the Transcendendo cohort in Brazil, a cohort designed with community input to follow individuals assigned a male sex at birth and living with a female gender. Combined, these studies will provide novel insights into the impact of both sex and gender on the immune response to HIV infection.