HIV-FLAME Study

What is HIV-FLAME?

The HIV and Fibrosis: Liver, Alcohol, & Multi-omics Evaluation (HIV-FLAME) study investigates how alcohol use may influence liver health among people living with HIV. As advances in HIV treatment have increased life expectancy, liver disease has emerged as an increasingly important health concern among people living with HIV. HIV-FLAME brings together researchers from multiple disciplines to examine how alcohol use, HIV, the gut microbiome, and molecular changes within the body may contribute to the development and progression of liver disease over time. Findings from HIV-FLAME may inform future prevention strategies, improve risk identification, and advance understanding of liver disease among people living with HIV.

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Study Aims

  1. Determine the effect of alcohol consumption on risk of steatohepatitis and fibrosis and the role of HIV.
  2. Establish whether the microbial composition of the gut explains associations between alcohol consumption and steatohepatitis and fibrosis
  3. Identify DNA methylation marks associated with hazardous alcohol consumption and steatohepatitis and fibrosis.

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What Are We Studying?

Alcohol and Liver Disease

Alcohol consumption is associated with a range of liver health outcomes. HIV-FLAME evaluates how different levels of alcohol use relate to steatohepatitis and liver fibrosis, and whether these relationships differ among people living with and without HIV

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The Gut Microbiome

The gut microbiome plays an important role in immune function and overall health. HIV-FLAME investigates whether differences in gut microbial composition are associated with alcohol use, liver disease, and inflammation

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Epigenetics and Gene Regulation

Epigenetic changes, including DNA methylation patterns, may provide insight into how alcohol use influences liver disease progression. HIV-FLAME examines molecular markers associated with hazardous alcohol consumption, steatohepatitis, and liver fibrosis.

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Meet Our Research Leads

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Jennifer Price, MD, PhD

Principal Investigator

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Bradley E. Aouizerat, PhD

Principal Investigator

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