People living with HIV (PLWH) have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to individuals without HIV. Increased systemic immune activation and arterial inflammation are thought to contribute to this increased risk by affecting the highly inflammatory process of atherosclerotic plaque formation and progression. This study will evaluate whether intravenous administration of a macrophage-specific imaging agent, 99mTc-tilmanocept, followed by SPECT/CT scanning can permit quantification of aortic 99mTc-tilmanocept uptake, reflective of aortic macrophage-specific inflammation among participants with HIV. We will also compare aortic 99mTc-tilmanocept uptake in participants with HIV to participants without HIV. Immunology parameters such as markers of immune activation and traditional CVD parameters will be assessed in relation to imaging assessments.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate uptake of intravenously administered 99mTc-tilmanocept using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT/CT) scanning in individuals with HIV and individuals without HIV.