HIV infected individuals have heightened cancer risk. Particularly for those caused by human oncogenic viruses such as EBV, HPV and KSHV. AIDS Malignancies are a sanitary problem for Latin American Countries as Argentina, even in the post HAART era. There is scant information regarding cancer among HIV-infected individuals in Argentina. Moreover, translational research in AIDS malignancies is an area traditionally neglected where most Argentinean clinicians and oncologists rarely collaborate. The recent convergence of efforts of Dr. Mesri laboratory at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine's Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMMSM/SCCC), Dr.Omar Coso at IFIBYNE ? UBA ? CONICET and Dr. Pedro Cahn from Fundacin Husped the most prestigious ONG devoted to AIDS studies, diagnosis and prevention have converged in this consortium proposal under the U54 format, including other Senior Prestigious Researchers and Junior Scientists in every Consortium Component. Project 1 aims to ?Define oncogenic signaling networks in AIDS-associated viral cancers as targets of chemoprevention and treatment.? The proposal will make use a variety of strategies at the molecular, cellular level and even through animal models to identify molecules (mainly proteins and miRNAs) implicated in the onset of viral cancers and investigate its relationship with HIV infection, using different approaches and targeting different molecules. Putative Molecules identified as responsible for the onset of cancer by laboratory approaches will be studied in Human Samples with the aid of Project 2. Relationship with the OGB Core will allow enhancement of the research capabilities a significant step further by using unbiased genomic analysis, as well as IHC techniques, to obtain high throughput data that will validate data obtained in the laboratory and prompt new questions into the bench making possible to address research questions that were unimaginable only a few years back. Mentoring is of paramount importance to this project. Dr Coso will lead the studies in KS related molecular signaling working as a PI to Project 1. On the other hand and combining with his role in the CE Core, he will supervise Dr Ana Raimondi, exploring the possibility of targeting mTORC1 in HPV models. Dr. Coso will also team with his former trainee Dr Julian Naipauer, who has developed a new cell and animal model of KSHV oncogenesis, conducting experiments in the laboratory and mentoring for the future development of his scientific career as a viral oncologist upon return to Argentina.
