The University of Pittsburgh has received $11 million in grant money from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for four research projects focusing on the spread of the HIV virus. According to Sharon Hiller, professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences, in one of the studies being conducted at Pitt’s schools of health sciences and the Magee-Womens Research Institute, researchers are attempting to identify whether contraceptives may be associated with an increased susceptibility to HIV. Another study will measure the effectiveness of a long-acting HIV drug that is injected intramuscularly into individuals who are not infected with HIV.

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