(taken from application) This award will train Dr. Talal, a gastroenterologist and epidemiologist, in molecular biological techniques as they relate to the virologic and immunologic consequences of HIV infection and its treatment in the gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT). The two mentors, Dr. David Ho, a very prominent virologist and the director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center (ADARC), and Dr. Douglas Dieterich, an HIV-experienced gastroenterologist, will provide a multi-disciplinary focus. The clinical environment at the Rockefeller University Hospital combined with state-of the laboratory expertise in HIV at the ADARC will ensure that Dr. Talal receives excellent training in the molecular virology, immunology, and treatment of HIV. Dr. Talal's previous training in study design and data analysis will be an asset to the implementation of the clinical portion of the project. At the end of the training, Dr. Talal will ben an independent scientist who will simultaneously conduct clinical studies and direct his own molecular biological laboratory. There are compelling theoretical reasons to study the viral and immune response in the GALT in treated HIV-infected patients. The GALT contains 45% of the lymphoid tissue in the entire body, it serves as the site of initial HIV inoculation in many patients, and the lymphocytes of the GALT are chronically activated which enhances HIV-infection of these cells. We have recently demonstrated that HIV mRNA persists in the GALT longer than it does in peripheral blood in my patients treated with combination anti- retroviral medications for at least one year. In untreated, chronically HIV-infected individuals, there is a preferential depletion of CD4+ (helper/inducer) lymphocytes in the GALT when compared to the peripheral blood. This project will evaluate decay of HIV in the GALT in chronically HIV-infected patients on combination anti-retroviral medication which will determine the time needed to eliminate HIV from this body compartment. It will also evaluate the repopulation of CD4+ lymphocytes in the GALT which may occur before repopulation in the peripheral blood. This project amy provide important insights into the amount of time needed to treat HIV- infected individuals and may provide novel approaches by which to monitor therapeutic responses in these individuals.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Type
Clinical Investigator Award (CIA) (K08)
Project #
7K08DK002573-03
Application #
6299143
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (SRC)
Program Officer
Podskalny, Judith M,
Project Start
2000-02-01
Project End
2003-07-31
Budget Start
2000-02-01
Budget End
2000-07-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
1999
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Weill Medical College of Cornell University
Department
Internal Medicine/Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
201373169
City
New York
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10065
Talal, Andrew H; Liu, Ruei-Chi; Zeremski, Marija et al. (2011) Randomized trial comparing dose reduction and growth factor supplementation for management of hematological side effects in HIV/hepatitis C virus patients receiving pegylated-interferon and ribavirin. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 58:261-8
Gonzalez, S A; Fiel, M I; Sauk, J et al. (2009) Inverse association between hepatic stellate cell apoptosis and fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C virus infection. J Viral Hepat 16:141-8
Gonzalez, S A; Zhang, C; Fiel, M I et al. (2008) Hepatic inflammatory cytokine mRNA expression in hepatitis C virus-human immunodeficiency virus co-infection. J Viral Hepat 15:331-8
Talal, Andrew H; Ribeiro, Ruy M; Powers, Kimberly A et al. (2006) Pharmacodynamics of PEG-IFN alpha differentiate HIV/HCV coinfected sustained virological responders from nonresponders. Hepatology 43:943-53
Lin, A W; Gonzalez, S A; Cunningham-Rundles, S et al. (2004) CD56(+dim) and CD56(+bright) cell activation and apoptosis in hepatitis C virus infection. Clin Exp Immunol 137:408-16
Talal, Andrew H; Shata, M Tarek; Markatou, Marianthi et al. (2004) Virus dynamics and immune responses during treatment in patients coinfected with hepatitis C and HIV. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 35:103-13
Wilfredo Canchis, P; Gonzalez, Stevan A; Isabel Fiel, M et al. (2004) Hepatocyte proliferation in chronic hepatitis C: correlation with degree of liver disease and serum alpha-fetoprotein. Liver Int 24:198-203
Canchis, P Wilfredo; Yee, Herman T; Fiel, M Isabel et al. (2004) Intrahepatic CD4+ cell depletion in hepatitis C virus/HIV-coinfected patients. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 37:1125-31
Powers, Kimberly A; Dixit, Narendra M; Ribeiro, Ruy M et al. (2003) Modeling viral and drug kinetics: hepatitis C virus treatment with pegylated interferon alfa-2b. Semin Liver Dis 23 Suppl 1:13-8
Talal, Andrew H; Canchis, P Wilfredo; Jacobson, Ira (2002) The HCV and HIV coinfected patient: what have we learned about pathophysiology? Curr Gastroenterol Rep 4:15-22

Showing the most recent 10 out of 14 publications