Clifford Lab
David Clifford, MD
David Clifford, MD, is the Melba and Forest Seay Professor of Clinical Neuropharmacology in Neurology at Washington University in St. Louis. A primary career goal has been to improve therapeutics for neurological disorders with a particular focus on neurological complications of HIV. Since 1993, he has led the Neurologic AIDS Research Consortium, an NIH funded national research group designed to develop improved therapy for neuroAIDS complications. He is the principal investigator of the AIDS Clinical Trials Unit at Washington University which is the premier international NIH funded AIDS therapeutic network. He is also an active investigator in the CHARTER study, a multicenter epidemiologic group studying neuroAIDS. He currently is co-PI for the Vanderbilt AIDS Clinical Trials Unit, which includes the Washington University Clinical Research Site. He has a specific focus on understanding the interaction of aging in the setting of chronic HIV infection.
Clifford is also the principal investigator for the Washington University NeuroNEXT trial unit, one of 25 centers designed to accelerate Phase 2 clinical trials for neurological disorders. He has led international research relevant to HIV and the nervous system in Ethiopia, Uganda, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Senegal and Thailand. He is also currently participating as an investigator at the Knight Alzheimer Disease Research projects at Washington University and is medical director for the Dominant Inherited Alzheimer Disease Treatment Trial (DIAN-TU) — the first pre-symptomatic controlled trial for treatment to prevent the onset of dementia in the inherited form of Alzheimer Disease.
Principal investigator

David Clifford, MD
Professor of Neurology
Chief, Adult Neuroinfectious Diseases
Melba and Forest Seay Professor of Clinical Neuropharmacology in Neurology
- Phone: 314-747-8423
Recent publications
- Antiretroviral therapy intensification for HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder?Brew, B. J. & Clifford, D. B., Nov 1 2023, In: AIDS. 37, 13, p. 2095-2096 2 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate
- Increasing Neuroinflammation Relates to Increasing Neurodegeneration in People with HIVTavasoli, A., Gelman, B. B., Marra, C. M., Clifford, D. B., Iudicello, J. E., Rubin, L. H., Letendre, S. L., Tang, B. & Ellis, R. J., Sep 2023, In: Viruses. 15, 9, 1835.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- Longitudinal head-to-head comparison of 11C-PiB and 18F-florbetapir PET in a Phase 2/3 clinical trial of anti-amyloid-β monoclonal antibodies in dominantly inherited Alzheimer’s diseasefor the DIAN-TU Study Team, Chen, C. D., McCullough, A., Gordon, B., Joseph-Mathurin, N., Flores, S., McKay, N. S., Hobbs, D. A., Hornbeck, R., Fagan, A. M., Cruchaga, C., Perrin, R. J., Wang, G., Li, Y., Shi, X., Xiong, C., Snider, B. J., Clifford, D. B., Mills, S., Supnet-Bell, C., & 3 othersMcDade, E., Bateman, R. J. & Benzinger, T. L. S., Jul 2023, In: European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. 50, 9, p. 2669-2682 14 […]
- Higher Levels of Cerebrospinal Fluid and Plasma Neurofilament Light in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Associated Distal Sensory PolyneuropathyEllis, R. J., Chenna, A., Lie, Y., Curanovic, D., Winslow, J., Tang, B., Marra, C. M., Rubin, L. H., Clifford, D. B., McCutchan, J. A., Gelman, B. B., Robinson-Papp, J., Petropoulos, C. J. & Letendre, S. L., Mar 15 2023, In: Clinical Infectious Diseases. 76, 6, p. 1103-1109 7 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- Twelve-year neurocognitive decline in HIV is associated with comorbidities, not age: a CHARTER studyTwelve-year neurocognitive decline in HIV is associated with comorbidities, not age: a CHARTER studyHeaton, R. K., Ellis, R. J., Tang, B., Marra, C. M., Rubin, L. H., Clifford, D. B., Mccutchan, J. A., Gelman, B. B., Morgello, S., Franklin, D. R. & Letendre, S. L., Mar 1 2023, In: Brain. 146, 3, p. 1121-1131 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review