application's abstract): The Miami ACTU has been a member of the AACTG since its inception and has contributed to a number of AACTG studies that led to the approval of seven antiretroviral drugs and numerous HIV treatment strategies including lower and alternative dosing schedules for all three classes of antiretroviral agents, early treatment intervention, combination therapies with dual NRTIs and triple-drug therapy. The Miami ACTU has also actively participated in the Virology Laboratory Subcommittee working groups with an active role in the standardization of a PBMC culture assay for determining drug susceptibility, the assessment of interlaboratory concordance of DNA sequencing analysis of HIV RT, and the development of a consensus sequencing protocol to detect drug resistant mutations. This unit has also been involved with the Surrogate Markers Subcommittee with an active role in the assessment of plasma cytokines and soluble markers, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte activity, lymphocyte proliferation and advanced flow cytometry, and defining and validating immunologic markers as surrogate markers independent of CD4 and HIV RNA. Finally, this unit has contributed to the Pharmacology Committee with the evaluation of targeted- concentration control studies and the correlation of drug exposure with treatment response and failure parameters. The Miami ACTU will actively participate in HIV Disease RAC efforts and provide expertise to address study treatment strategies for initial therapy, treatment options for virologic failure and utilization of phenotypic and genotypic assessments to direct subsequent therapy and treatment intensification. The Miami ACTU will also bring expertise in the areas of hepatitis B and C pathogenesis and treatment, metabolic complications of HIV-1 protease inhibitor pathogenesis and treatment, HIV dementia pathogenesis and treatment and peripheral neuropathy pain assessment, Kaposi sarcoma (KS) pathogenesis, intensive immunologic monitoring and definition, and validation of immunologic determinants of treatment response. The Miami ACTU plans to enroll 100 subjects per year across AACTG studies and 70 patients into AACTG substudies, including but limited to Compartmental, Virology, Viral Dynamics, Pharmaceuticals, Metabolic, Neurologic, Women's Health and Adherence and Outcomes substudies. With a support system in place for the long-term follow-up of patients, the Miami ACTU anticipates to enroll approximately 80 patients into the ALLRT study (ACTG 5001) over a 2-year period.
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