Through an integrated program of laboratory and clinical investigation his team are advancing the science of HIV cure, brain health, and precision diagnostics to improve and extend the lives of people living with HIV worldwide.
The Ndhlovu lab is leading investigators in global HIV cure science, pursuing multiple complementary strategies toward durable, therapy-free remission and advancing HIV cure through rigorous clinical investigation.
Complementing these cure efforts, the laboratory investigates the immunobiology of viral persistence as well as the investigation of mechanisms driving HIV-associated brain injury in the era of antiretroviral therapy.
Extending beyond HIV, Dr. Ndhlovu leads LANTERN, a groundbreaking initiative funded by from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) through its LIGHT program. LANTERN aims to develop a comprehensive diagnostic toolbox for lymphatic disease by integrating large-scale genomic analysis, nanotechnology-based molecular fingerprinting, and artificial intelligence to enable earlier and more precise detection with the potential to impact patients across a broad spectrum of conditions, including infectious diseases.
Through an integrated program spanning molecular discovery, translational research, and international clinical investigation, Dr. Ndhlovu and his team are redefining what is possible in HIV medicine, pushing the boundaries of science to protect brain health, extend lives, and move the world closer to a durable HIV cure.
Biography
Dr. Ndhlovu is the Herbert J. and Ann L. Siegel Distinguished Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, Professor of Immunology in Neuroscience and Professor of Microbiology and Immunology. The thrust of his research program is dedicated to confronting the challenges of HIV and aging, developing targeted strategies to prevent, slow or eliminate complications of HIV infection with a particular emphasis on brain health and a global HIV cure. Using state-of-the-art immunological, virological, multi-omic and AI approaches, the team unravels the mechanisms that drive HIV neuropathology, and viral persistence, translating discovery science into precision diagnostics and interventions.
Distinctions:
NIH Merit Award
Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology
Member of the American Association of Physicians
Discovered second-tier negative checkpoint pathways driving immune dysfucniton and HIV disease progresion and developed and investigated immunotherapeutics to rescue these defective responses
Identified galectin-9 as both a reliable predictor of viral persistence and multimorbidity in HIV
Identified immunoepigenetic signatures in blood of acute HIV infection, HIV associated cognitive decline, HIV reservoirs and severe COVID-19 disease
Ndhlovu, L, Giron, L, Galinskas, J, Premeaux, T, Pang, A, Dias, D, Vassão de Almeida Baptista, M, Shytaj, IL, Maricato, J, Ferreira, P, Gosuen, G, Corley, M, Friday, C, Bowler, S, Della Libera, E, Sucupira, MC, Hunter, J, Janini, LM, Schechter, M, Savarino, A, Sobhie Diaz, R, the SPARC Working Group. Virological and Immunological Outcomes of Combined Therapeutic Interventions and Dendritic Cell Therapy in People With HIV, The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 232, Issue 5, 15 November 2025
Ellison, A, Rosado-Franco, JJ, Mamun, L, Knerler, S, Daniali, M, Mehta, K, Williams-McLeod, S, Alvarez, J, Joyner, S, Vandrey, R, Weerts, E, Gaskill, P, Corley, M, Ndhlovu, L, Williams, D. Antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects of Cannabidiol in HIV/SIV infection, Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, Volume 137, 2026, 106843, ISSN 0889-1591
