The Clinical Core serves as an interface between basic science, clinical, behavioral, and epidemiologicinvestigators and patients with HIV disease. Through the establishment of multiple clinics, aComprehensive Clinical Database, a Clinical Specimen Repository, community and internationaloutreach projects, and several special programs focused on common HIV-related complicationsand co-infections, the Clinical Core serves as a hub for all patient-related activities, ranging fromthe conduct of clinical trials to provision of clinical specimens and clinical outcome information tothe 100+ UAB CFAR investigators and investigators around the world.
The SPECIFIC AIMS of theClinical Core are to: 1) Provide infrastructure for clinical and translational research related to acuteand early HIV infection; children, adolescents, and adults with established HIV/AIDS; and HIV-relatedvaccines. 2) Expand educational opportunities for students and health care workers at all phases oftraining and practice to develop skills related to the design, ethical conduct, and analysis of clinicalresearch. 3) Maintain and update the 1917 Clinic Database -- used to perform clinical,pharmacoeconomic, and psychosocial outcome studies and to identify potential research subjects -- andparticipate in the CFAR-Network of Integrated Clinical Systems (C-NICS). 4) Collect, process, store, anddistribute high-quality blood and tissue specimens from well-characterized patients to investigators via aComprehensive Clinical Specimen Repository. 5) Provide pharmacologic analyses utilizinginnovative, state-of-the-art methodologies. 6) Foster interdisciplinary programs to better understand thepathogenesis and management of metabolic complications of HIV/antiretroviral therapies as well asseveral important HIV co-pathogens (especially STDs, Hepatitis B and C). 7) Provide outreachprograms targeting education, prevention, and treatment opportunities for special groups at risk for HIVand its complications. This application describes recent UAB CFAR programmatic developments thatreflect the diverse and changing face of the AIDS epidemic - an increasing emphasis on computerizedpatient records, research database, and outcomes research; increasing international research collaborativeefforts related to acute and chronic HIV infection; and new interdisciplinary programs focused on criticallyimportant infectious co-pathogens and recently recognized treatment-related complications. Maintainingthis broad array of inter-connected and synergistic projects is possible only through the provision of UABCFAR infrastructure, organization, and resources.
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