Clifford Lab
David Clifford, MD
David Clifford is a leading expert in neuropharmacology and clinical neurology at WashU Medicine. His career has focused on improving therapeutics for neurological disorders, with a particular emphasis on the neurological complications of HIV.
Since 1993, Clifford has led the Neurologic AIDS Research Consortium, a national NIH-funded research group dedicated to developing improved therapies for neuroAIDS. He also serves as the principal investigator for the AIDS Clinical Trials Unit at WashU Medicine, a premier site within the international NIH-funded AIDS therapeutic network. In addition, he is an active investigator in the CHARTER study, a multicenter epidemiologic project focused on neuroAIDS, and co-principal investigator for the Vanderbilt AIDS Clinical Trials Unit, which includes the WashU Medicine clinical research site.
Clifford’s research includes a specific focus on the effects of aging in individuals with chronic HIV infection. His work extends globally, having led international research efforts in Ethiopia, Uganda, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal and Thailand.
In addition to his work in HIV neurology, Clifford is the principal investigator for the WashU Medicine NeuroNEXT trial unit, one of 25 NIH-funded centers designed to accelerate Phase 2 clinical trials for neurological disorders. He also contributes to the Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center and serves as medical director for the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network Trials Unit (DIAN-TU) — the first pre-symptomatic controlled trial aimed at preventing dementia in individuals with inherited forms of Alzheimer disease.
Principal investigator
Recent publications
- GATA2 mutation is associated with immune dysfunction and increased Mycobacterium haemophilum susceptibility in immunocompromised individualsAbhimanyu, Sep 23 2025, In: JCI Insight. 10, 18Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- Interpreting the evidence on gantenerumab for dominantly inherited Alzheimer's disease – Authors' replyDominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Disease–Trials Unit, Aug 2025, In: The Lancet Neurology. 24, 8, p. 635-636 2 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › peer-review
- Regional effects of gantenerumab on neuroimaging biomarkers in the DIAN-TU-001 trialfor the DIAN-TU Study Team, Jul 2025, In: Alzheimer's and Dementia. 21, 7, e70347.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- Safety and efficacy of long-term gantenerumab treatment in dominantly inherited Alzheimer's disease: an open-label extension of the phase 2/3 multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled platform DIAN-TU trialDominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Disease–Trials Unit, Apr 2025, In: The Lancet Neurology. 24, 4, p. 316-330 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- Downstream Biomarker Effects of Gantenerumab or Solanezumab in Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Disease: The DIAN-TU-001 Randomized Clinical TrialWagemann, O., Liu, H., Wang, G., Shi, X., Bittner, T., Scelsi, M. A., Farlow, M. R., Clifford, D. B., Supnet-Bell, C., Santacruz, A. M., Aschenbrenner, A. J., Hassenstab, J. J., Benzinger, T. L. S., Gordon, B. A., Coalier, K. A., Cruchaga, C., Ibanez, L., Perrin, R. J., Xiong, C. & Li, Y. & 30 others, Morris, J. C., Lah, J. J., Berman, S. B., Roberson, E. D., Van Dyck, C. H., Galasko, D., Gauthier, S., Hsiung, G. Y. R., Brooks, W. S., Pariente, J., […]
- Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network Trials Unit (DIAN-TU): Trial Satisfaction and Attitudes towards Future Clinical TrialsLiu, H., Li, J., Ziegemeier, E., Adams, S., McDade, E., Clifford, D. B., Cao, Y., Wang, G., Li, Y., Mills, S. L., Santacruz, A. M., Belyew, S., Grill, J. D., Snider, B. J., Mummery, C. J., Surti, G., Hannequin, D., Wallon, D., Berman, S. B. & Jimenez-Velazquez, I. Z. & 19 others, Roberson, E. D., van Dyck, C. H., Honig, L. S., Sanchez-Valle, R., Brooks, W. S., Gauthier, S., Galasko, D., Masters, C. L., Brosch, J., Hsiung, G. Y. R., Jayadev, S., Formaglio, M., Masellis, M., […]
- Examining amyloid reduction as a surrogate endpoint through latent class analysis using clinical trial data for dominantly inherited Alzheimer's diseaseWang, G., Li, Y., Xiong, C., Benzinger, T. L. S., Gordon, B. A., Hassenstab, J., Aschenbrenner, A. J., McDade, E., Clifford, D. B., Libre-Guerra, J. J., Shi, X., Mummery, C. J., van Dyck, C. H., Lah, J. J., Honig, L. S., Day, G., Ringman, J. M., Brooks, W. S., Fox, N. C. & Suzuki, K. & 5 others, Levin, J., Jucker, M., Delmar, P., Bittner, T. & Bateman, R. J., Apr 2024, In: Alzheimer's and Dementia. 20, 4, p. 2698-2706 9 […]
- Mycobacterium haemophilum Related Myelitis in Geographically Linked CasesSamudralwar, R. D., Bailey, T. C., Vellimana, A. K., Wright, N. M. & Clifford, D. B., Mar 2024, In: Annals of neurology. 95, 3, p. 614-616 3 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- Biopsychosocial phenotypes in people with HIV in the CHARTER cohortTang, B., Ellis, R. J., Vaida, F., Umlauf, A., Franklin, D. R., Dastgheyb, R., Rubin, L. H., Riggs, P. K., Iudicello, J. E., Clifford, D. B., Moore, D. J., Heaton, R. K. & Letendre, S. L., 2024, In: Brain Communications. 6, 4, fcae224.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
- Elevated Plasma Protein Carbonyl Concentration Is Associated with More Abnormal White Matter in People with HIVRiggs, P. K., Anderson, A. M., Tang, B., Rubin, L. H., Morgello, S., Marra, C. M., Gelman, B. B., Clifford, D. B., Franklin, D., Heaton, R. K., Ellis, R. J., Fennema-Notestine, C. & Letendre, S. L., Dec 2023, In: Viruses. 15, 12, 2410.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review