The long-term goal of this project is to assemble a critical mass of faculty whose expertise in cell biology, molecular biology and chemistry will be applied to the development of safe and effective AIDS therapeutic drugs. For the past decade, a great deal of research activity has focused upon combating HIV, the causative agent of AIDS. However, few effective anti-retroviral drugs have been approved for clinical use due to dose- dependent toxicity and drug resistance. Therefore, this project will attack the problem of the development of AIDS drugs by: determining the mechanism(s) of action and toxicity of currently used drugs (nucleosides and thalidomide); studying the biochemical and functional characteristics of regulatory proteins (Nef and Tat); developing strategies that combine nucleosides with drugs that target HIV regulatory proteins. This is a multi-investigator project which will be coordinated by Dr. Taylor (Activity Leader) and the faculty involvement will be as follows: 1) Dr. Taylor will perform the studies on anti-viral nucleosides and thalidomide; 2) Dr. Samuel will focus on characterizing the interaction of the HIV protein Nef with human lymphoblastic cells; 3) Dr. Walls will perform the studies on the biochemistry and function of Tat protein; 4) Drs. Taylor, Samuel and Walls will collaborate on the development of a combination regimen. We feel these approaches will supply important knowledge that can be applied to the design of future AIDS therapeutic regimens.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)
Type
Exploratory Grants (P20)
Project #
5P20RR011606-06
Application #
6348232
Study Section
Project Start
2001-09-30
Project End
2002-09-29
Budget Start
1997-10-01
Budget End
1998-09-30
Support Year
6
Fiscal Year
2000
Total Cost
$280,363
Indirect Cost
Name
Morgan State University
Department
Type
DUNS #
879941318
City
Baltimore
State
MD
Country
United States
Zip Code
21251
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