---
title: UMD Researcher Receives $3.75M to Study Deadly Complication in HIV/AIDS Medications
date: 2026-04-21T15:59:00-04:00
author: Ella LaGrange
canonical_url: "https://forward.umd.edu/news/umd-researcher-receives-3-75m-to-study-deadly-complication-in-hiv-aids-medications"
section: News
---
# UMD Researcher Receives $3.75M to Study Deadly Complication in HIV/AIDS Medications

*April 21, 2026* — by Ella LaGrange
> Professor Meiqing Shi will Investigate the Cellular Mechanisms Behind Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome (IRIS)

<span>Despite the wonders of anti-retroviral therapy (ART), which has changed an HIV /AIDS diagnosis from a likely death sentence to a manageable chronic condition for millions of patients, complications of the medication can pose serious risks, including a type of deadly brain inflammation known as immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS). </span>

- [Learn More](https://agnr.umd.edu/news/umd-researcher-receives-375m-study-deadly-complication-hivaids-medications/)