Peter Hunt

Professor
Department of Medicine
+1 628 206-8165
Research Description: 

Peter Hunt is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Experimental Medicine (DEM) at the University of California San Francisco. He also serves as Associate Chief for Research for the ZSFG-UCSF Department of Medicine, Co-Director of the UCSF-GIVI Center for AIDS Research (for basic and translational science), and as a member of the Leadership Committee of the UCSF AIDS Research Institute. He also recently completed terms as Interim Chief of the DEM and Chair of the ACTG Inflammation and End Organ Disease Transformative Science Group. His primary research focus is on the inflammatory consequences of HIV infection. His clinic-based translational research program seeks to understand the determinants of persistent immune activation both in the presence and the absence of antiretroviral therapy, and to assess the impact of immune activation on clinical outcomes. He collaborates extensively with a multi-disciplinary team of investigators to assess the impact of persistent immune activation despite viral suppression on mortality and chronic diseases associated with aging (i.e., cardiovascular disease) and conducts clinical trials of novel immune-based interventions designed to decrease immune activation. Dr. Hunt has also led a translational research program in Mbarara, Uganda, focused on the determinants of immune recovery during suppressive antiretroviral therapy in that setting. He also helped develop a large mucosal immunology program at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital focused on the impact of HIV on gut-associated lymphoid tissue and the determinants of microbial translocation in HIV infection. In 2016, he started a laboratory in the DEM, focused on the immunologic consequences of asymptomatic CMV replication during treated HIV infection as well as the adaptive immune defects that persist in this setting in an effort to develop targets for interventions to reduce morbidity and mortality.

Mentorship Development: 

4/30/20    Mental Health in a Pandemic: Q&A for Faculty    
10/20/20    Gathering in Community: a Training for Faculty and Staff    

Featured Publications: 

Gut epithelial barrier dysfunction and innate immune activation predict mortality in treated HIV infection.

The Journal of infectious diseases

Hunt PW, Sinclair E, Rodriguez B, Shive C, Clagett B, Funderburg N, Robinson J, Huang Y, Epling L, Martin JN, Deeks SG, Meinert CL, Van Natta ML, Jabs DA, Lederman MM

The kynurenine pathway of tryptophan catabolism, CD4+ T-cell recovery, and mortality among HIV-infected Ugandans initiating antiretroviral therapy.

The Journal of infectious diseases

Byakwaga H, Boum Y, Huang Y, Muzoora C, Kembabazi A, Weiser SD, Bennett J, Cao H, Haberer JE, Deeks SG, Bangsberg DR, McCune JM, Martin JN, Hunt PW

Reversal of the Kynurenine pathway of tryptophan catabolism may improve depression in ART-treated HIV-infected Ugandans.

Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999)

Martinez P, Tsai AC, Muzoora C, Kembabazi A, Weiser SD, Huang Y, Haberer JE, Martin JN, Bangsberg DR, Hunt PW

Low proportions of CD28- CD8+ T cells expressing CD57 can be reversed by early ART initiation and predict mortality in treated HIV infection.

The Journal of infectious diseases

Lee SA, Sinclair E, Jain V, Huang Y, Epling L, Van Natta M, Meinert CL, Martin JN, McCune JM, Deeks SG, Lederman MM, Hecht FM, Hunt PW

Impact of HIV on CD8+ T cell CD57 expression is distinct from that of CMV and aging.

PloS one

Lee SA, Sinclair E, Hatano H, Hsue PY, Epling L, Hecht FM, Bangsberg DR, Martin JN, McCune JM, Deeks SG, Hunt PW

Limited HIV infection of central memory and stem cell memory CD4+ T cells is associated with lack of progression in viremic individuals.

PLoS pathogens

Klatt NR, Bosinger SE, Peck M, Richert-Spuhler LE, Heigele A, Gile JP, Patel N, Taaffe J, Julg B, Camerini D, Torti C, Martin JN, Deeks SG, Sinclair E, Hecht FM, Lederman MM, Paiardini M, Kirchhoff F, Brenchley JM, Hunt PW, Silvestri G

Cell death by pyroptosis drives CD4 T-cell depletion in HIV-1 infection.

Nature

Doitsh G, Galloway NL, Geng X, Yang Z, Monroe KM, Zepeda O, Hunt PW, Hatano H, Sowinski S, Muñoz-Arias I, Greene WC

HIV and aging: emerging research issues.

Current opinion in HIV and AIDS

Hunt PW

Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota is associated with HIV disease progression and tryptophan catabolism.

Science translational medicine

Vujkovic-Cvijin I, Dunham RM, Iwai S, Maher MC, Albright RG, Broadhurst MJ, Hernandez RD, Lederman MM, Huang Y, Somsouk M, Deeks SG, Hunt PW, Lynch SV, McCune JM

HIV-infected women on antiretroviral treatment have increased mortality during pregnant and postpartum periods.

AIDS (London, England)

Matthews LT, Kaida A, Kanters S, Byakwagamd H, Mocello AR, Muzoora C, Kembabazi A, Haberer JE, Martin JN, Bangsberg DR, Hunt PW

The immunologic effects of maraviroc intensification in treated HIV-infected individuals with incomplete CD4+ T-cell recovery: a randomized trial.

Blood

Hunt PW, Shulman NS, Hayes TL, Dahl V, Somsouk M, Funderburg NT, McLaughlin B, Landay AL, Adeyemi O, Gilman LE, Clagett B, Rodriguez B, Martin JN, Schacker TW, Shacklett BL, Palmer S, Lederman MM, Deeks SG

Residual immune dysregulation syndrome in treated HIV infection.

Advances in immunology

Lederman MM, Funderburg NT, Sekaly RP, Klatt NR, Hunt PW

HIV and inflammation: mechanisms and consequences.

Current HIV/AIDS reports

Hunt PW

A role for cytomegalovirus-specific CD4+CX3CR1+ T cells and cytomegalovirus-induced T-cell immunopathology in HIV-associated atherosclerosis.

AIDS (London, England)

Sacre K, Hunt PW, Hsue PY, Maidji E, Martin JN, Deeks SG, Autran B, McCune JM

Impact of CD8+ T-cell activation on CD4+ T-cell recovery and mortality in HIV-infected Ugandans initiating antiretroviral therapy.

AIDS (London, England)

Hunt PW, Cao HL, Muzoora C, Ssewanyana I, Bennett J, Emenyonu N, Kembabazi A, Neilands TB, Bangsberg DR, Deeks SG, Martin JN

Valganciclovir reduces T cell activation in HIV-infected individuals with incomplete CD4+ T cell recovery on antiretroviral therapy.

The Journal of infectious diseases

Hunt PW, Martin JN, Sinclair E, Epling L, Teague J, Jacobson MA, Tracy RP, Corey L, Deeks SG

A low T regulatory cell response may contribute to both viral control and generalized immune activation in HIV controllers.

PloS one

Hunt PW, Landay AL, Sinclair E, Martinson JA, Hatano H, Emu B, Norris PJ, Busch MP, Martin JN, Brooks C, McCune JM, Deeks SG

HIV-specific CD4+ T cells may contribute to viral persistence in HIV controllers.

Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America

Hunt PW, Hatano H, Sinclair E, Lee TH, Busch MP, Martin JN, McCune JM, Deeks SG

Tryptophan catabolism by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 alters the balance of TH17 to regulatory T cells in HIV disease.

Science translational medicine

Favre D, Mold J, Hunt PW, Kanwar B, Loke P, Seu L, Barbour JD, Lowe MM, Jayawardene A, Aweeka F, Huang Y, Douek DC, Brenchley JM, Martin JN, Hecht FM, Deeks SG, McCune JM

Role of viral replication, antiretroviral therapy, and immunodeficiency in HIV-associated atherosclerosis.

AIDS (London, England)

Hsue PY, Hunt PW, Schnell A, Kalapus SC, Hoh R, Ganz P, Martin JN, Deeks SG

Plasma levels of bacterial DNA correlate with immune activation and the magnitude of immune restoration in persons with antiretroviral-treated HIV infection.

The Journal of infectious diseases

Jiang W, Lederman MM, Hunt P, Sieg SF, Haley K, Rodriguez B, Landay A, Martin J, Sinclair E, Asher AI, Deeks SG, Douek DC, Brenchley JM

Relationship between T cell activation and CD4+ T cell count in HIV-seropositive individuals with undetectable plasma HIV RNA levels in the absence of therapy.

The Journal of infectious diseases

Hunt PW, Brenchley J, Sinclair E, McCune JM, Roland M, Page-Shafer K, Hsue P, Emu B, Krone M, Lampiris H, Douek D, Martin JN, Deeks SG

Increased carotid intima-media thickness in HIV patients is associated with increased cytomegalovirus-specific T-cell responses.

AIDS (London, England)

Hsue PY, Hunt PW, Sinclair E, Bredt B, Franklin A, Killian M, Hoh R, Martin JN, McCune JM, Waters DD, Deeks SG

Prevalence of CXCR4 tropism among antiretroviral-treated HIV-1-infected patients with detectable viremia.

The Journal of infectious diseases

Hunt PW, Harrigan PR, Huang W, Bates M, Williamson DW, McCune JM, Price RW, Spudich SS, Lampiris H, Hoh R, Leigler T, Martin JN, Deeks SG

The independent effect of drug resistance on T cell activation in HIV infection.

AIDS (London, England)

Hunt PW, Deeks SG, Bangsberg DR, Moss A, Sinclair E, Liegler T, Bates M, Tsao G, Lampiris H, Hoh R, Martin JN

Continued CD4 cell count increases in HIV-infected adults experiencing 4 years of viral suppression on antiretroviral therapy.

AIDS (London, England)

Hunt PW, Deeks SG, Rodriguez B, Valdez H, Shade SB, Abrams DI, Kitahata MM, Krone M, Neilands TB, Brand RJ, Lederman MM, Martin JN