The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued a Request for Applications (RFA) for research on effective strategies for expanding the provision of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for people at increased risk of HIV by leveraging existing sexually transmitted infection (STI) programs.

Research supported by this initiative should be based on point of care HIV testing for all persons seeking STI services, followed by linkage to available antiretroviral therapy (ART) or PrEP, in addition to STI testing, treatment, and prevention services at designated STI clinical settings. HIV testing, PrEP, and ART should be linked with STI services in settings where they are needed and not currently co-located. Interventions should be included to (i) overcome stigma and discrimination, (ii) provide individualized services to optimize PrEP and ART uptake and retention, (iii) ensure ongoing access to ART, PrEP, and other prevention services, (iv) and provide quality STI services that meet current CDC recommendations (Recommendations for Providing Quality STD Clinical Services).

Research areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Research examining multi-component strategies for scaling up HIV and STI testing, treatment, and prevention services in a cost-effective manner in conjunction with other diagnostic and treatment services that may be needed by the priority populations being served, including mental health care, harm reduction, substance use treatment, and family planning services.
• Intervention strategies that incorporate stigma reduction and peer outreach and support programs to engage and retain populations at increased risk of HIV infection that are typically hard to reach.
• Strategies that incorporate the use of digital health/mobile technologies to support STI and HIV testing, treatment, and prevention services and ongoing adherence and retention.

This RFA is being led by NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and co-funded by NIAID, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

For more information, read the RFA, Innovative Models for Delivering PrEP and STI Services to Stop HIV in the United States (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional)—RFA-AI-20-069.