Clinical services for AIDS patients at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) expanded rapidly from the onset of the epidemic and became particularly focused at the San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH) Campus under the directorship of Paul A. Volberding, M.D. The J. David Gladstone Foundation decided to extend their organization's research activities beyond atherosclerosis to basic AIDS research. Since the Gladstone Foundation Laboratories were already located at SFGH and SFGH was also the site of one of the earliest AIDS medical care facilities, and now an internationally recognized treatment center for HIV-infected persons and AIDS patients, extending the organization to basic science in AIDS was a natural choice. In a joint effort between the Trustees of the Gladstone Foundation, the City and County of San Francisco, and UCSF, resources were combined to complete, furnish and equip a 27,000 square foot facility dedicated to basic research on AIDS. This facility is the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology and is directed by an internationally recognized immunologist and virologist, Warner C. Greene, M.D., Ph.D. The CFAR theme of transnational research will be set by the shared responsibilities of Co-Directors, Drs. Volberding and Greene and by inclusion of the following core facilities: A) Clinical, with Biostatistical, Behavioral and Tissue Bank sub-cores, B) Clinical Virology, C) Flow Cytometry D) Molecular Biology, and E) Immunocytopathology. Usage of these core facilities will be targeted at multidisciplinary collaborations. Developmental activities of the UCSF CFAR will include New Investigator Awards, Pilot Project Grants and short term support for Evolving Research Opportunities. The UCSF CFAR will also continue to support focused scientific workshop which will be designed to bring UCSF investigators together with key outside scientists to facilitate an effective, collaborative approach among UCSF investigators in key areas. The current application continues the involvement of many of the established UCSF investigator from the original CFAR but also serves to build on the new research base within the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology. The proposed CFAR represents an important evolution in the history of the San Francisco CFAR and specifically seeks to bridge the gap between the clinical and basic science disciplines.
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