An estimated 78% of people living with HIV are predicted to be diagnosed with cardiovascular disease (CVD) by 2030—mainly because HIV-infected people face an increased risk for CVD and are living long enough to develop the disease. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has awarded Robert Kaplan, Ph.D., a 4-year, $3.3 million grant to investigate the gene expression in immune cells from patients with HIV who are enrolled in the MACS/WIHS Combined Cohort Study. The goal is to determine how those immune cells contribute to increased CVD risk. Researchers will use single cell sequencing methods to analyze the transcriptomes (all the messenger RNA molecules expressed by a cell’s genes) of the 30 known types of immune cells. The researchers hope to identify potential drug targets for improving cardiovascular outcomes in people with HIV. Dr. Kaplan is professor of epidemiology & population health and holds the Dorothy and William Manealoff Foundation and Molly Rosen Chair in Social Medicine at Einstein. (1R01HL148094)