The University Hospital Bonn (UKB) is a maximum care hospital with more than 1,300 beds. Our more than 9,000 employees take on tasks in research, teaching and patient care as well as in public health at the highest level. In the science ranking (LOMV) and in the economic result, the UKB is number 1 of the university hospitals in NRW and in 2021 had the third-highest case mix index of the university hospitals in Germany.
PhD Position – Virology and Infection Biology (m/f/d)
The Institute of Virology, in the research group of Prof. Hendrik Streeck at the University Hospital Bonn (UKB), Faculty of Medicine, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University Bonn, invites applications for a:
PhD Position (m/f/d)
Project: Ongoing HIV Protein Production as a Driver of Immune Activation in ART-treated Individuals
The position is funded for 3 years (65% TV-L E13), starting on January 1st, 2026, within the framework of the TTU HIV program of the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF).
Project Description
Although modern antiretroviral therapy (ART) can effectively suppress HIV replication to undetectable levels, many people living with HIV (PLWH) continue to experience persistent immune activation and inflammation. These chronic immune disturbances are associated with an increased risk of non-AIDS-related comorbidities, including cardiovascular disease, neurocognitive disorders, and accelerated aging. The exact mechanisms driving this residual immune activation remain poorly understood. Recent findings suggest that ongoing production of viral proteins—particularly the capsid protein p24—even in the absence of detectable viral RNA, may play a crucial role in sustaining this immune activation. In this project, we investigate the hypothesis that ultra-low levels of the HIV p24 protein, measurable using an ultrasensitive single-molecule assay, are a key driver of ongoing immune responses in ART-treated individuals. Data from our group shows that approximately 30-40% of PLWH with long-term viral suppression still have detectable plasma p24 levels in ultra-low concentrations. This project will combine advanced immunological assays (e.g., flow cytometry, AIM assay, cytokine profiling), viral outgrowth assays, HIV integration site analysis and determination of HIV clonality in HIV-infected cells to understand the mechanistic link between low-level protein expression and immune activation.
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