application's abstract): The overall goal of this application is the formation of a clinical site within the Adult AIDS Clinical Trials Group (AACTG) which will effectively execute studies designed to improve the understanding and treatment of HIV disease. This site, a linkage of the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center (Columbia) with the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center (ADARC) will be designated the Columbia-ADARC AIDS Clinical Trials Unit. Columbia will serve as the main unit and ADARC as the sub-unit in this collaboration of two institutions already scientifically linked by the recently awarded Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) grant. The intent is to bring together extensive and complementary clinical trials and basic investigative expertise to facilitate execution of the Group's scientific agenda. A Columbia-ADARC unit may possess the elements necessary to successfully carry out a diverse array of pathogenetically and strategically based clinical trials in a demographically diverse population.
The specific aims of this application are: (1) to establish a clinical trials unit that has the capability to conduct studies which advance the knowledge of HIV pathogenesis and treatment. Specifically, this unit will be dedicated to further the AACTG's research agenda through active accrual to protocols sponsored by the scientific committees of the Group; (2) to recruit and retain a diverse population of HIV infected persons in AACTG trials who reflect the affected population in Manhattan, particularly Northern Manhattan, a region which has been severely affected by the HIV epidemic and one that is representative of the penetrance of the epidemic into the inner cities. This will be achieved through recruitment of patients from a large primary care base and broad regional referral network; and (3) to promote the Group's scientific mission by active participation in AACTG protocols and committees by Columbia-ADARC investigators. This will include sharing of new technologies that enhance the sophistication of patient monitoring and thereby generate new hypotheses to test in the context of AACTG trials. Thus, the Columbia-ADARC ACTU will be an active participant in the Group's mission to improve the health of HIV infected individuals and set standards for treatment of HIV disease.
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