application's abstract): AIDS Research Alliance-Chicago (ARAC), is a 501C(3) independent not-for-profit research organization which is dedicated to conducting scientifically sound research in the primary care setting, to offering opportunities for participation in clinical research to underrepresented populations, to evaluating the effectiveness of new therapies and the benefits of new treatment strategies and to assuring community input into the research agenda. ARAC is composed of a central administrative office and seven diverse primary care sites, where more than 5,000 patients with HIV infection receive their health care. A central administrative group provides support for the research nurses who are integrated into the primary care site. This model of on-site patient enrollment and follow-up is optimal for obtaining data on the clinical impact and long-term consequences of HIV treatment strategies. The plan to ship key laboratory specimens to a central laboratory will create a repository which will be useful for studies of potential markers of clinical disease progression. ARAC is committed to contributing to the Terry Beirn Community Program for Clinical Research on AIDS (CPCRA) scientific agenda in order to achieve a better understanding of the long-term impact of HIV treatment strategies and to provide information which will improve the medical care of persons with HIV infection. ARAC anticipates that 235 study participants will be enrolled in CPCRA trials and in active follow-up as of January 1, 2,000: 25-FIRST (CPCRA 058), 20-PIP (CPCRA 057), 50-CR MAC (CPCRA 048), 75-IL-2 (CPCRA 059), 25-NVR (CPCRA 042), 30-LTM (CPCRA 060) and 10-Metabolic. The investigators expect to enroll an additional 65 patients during the first year of the contract: 25-FIRST (CPCRA 058), 30-LTM (CPCRA 060) and 10-Metabolic and to have an average of 275 patients involved in CPCRA trials each year.
