) The AIDS Malignancy Bank was established in 1994, and since 1995 has been composed of five sites: UCSF, UCLA, George Washington University, SUNY-Brooklyn, and Ohio State University. The AMB is a national resource that reflects the history of the malignancies of HIV disease in specimens. Because scientists in the AMB are themselves actively involved in studies of the p a t hogenesis of AIDS-related malignancies, the AMB is responsive to therapeutic and scientific advances in HIV disease. Currently, the AMB contains 12,688 individual specimens in 43 different categories. These fluid, cell, and tissue specimens, along with associated clinical information, are available to qualified researchers worldwide. To date, 18 different investigators have received over 900 specimens after critical evaluation of their Letters of Intent (LOIs) by an independent Research and Evaluation Decision Panel (REDP) of experts in the field. This current recompetition proposal combines information from all AMB member sites, as well as reporting accomplishments, future plans, goals and budget projections from individual sites. The key AMB goals are: 1) to establish an Operations Center that will maintain the national database, coordinate activities of the AMB sites, and interface with external sources of specimens such as the AIDS-related Malignancy Consortium and the Women's Interagency HIV Study, and the scientific community; 2) to expand the AMB to serve as the specimen repository for large oncological clinical and epidemiological consortia, ultimately leading to procurement of their specimens, 3) to increase visibility and broaden the use of the AMB by investigators, and 4) to f u rther develop individual member site programs to increase specimen acquisition. The goal of the D.C.AIDS Malignancy Bank (D.C.AMB) continues to be the growth and maintenance of a comprehensive, user-friendly bank of tissue and b i o logical fluid specimens from individuals demonstrating HIV-related malignancies and control specimens. The D.C. AMB has on deposit 31,865 individual specimens from 1885 cases from known HIV-positive individuals and from individuals whose HIV-status is unknown. The D.C.AMB has been an active participant of the National AMB Steering Committee, has released specimens to researchers, and produced the AMB Specimen Processing Manual. The new composition of the D.C. AMB Consortium new members, John Hopkins University, the Armed Forced Institute of Pathology, and Kaiser Permanente, together with the continuing members of George Washington University, Georgetown University, Howard University, University of Miami with their collaborators in Brazil, Children's Hospital National Medical Center and Fairfax Hospital ensures an expanded geographical area to enhance the types and numbers of specimens in the D.C. AMB.
| Lechowicz, Maryjo; Dittmer, Dirk P; Lee, Jeannette Y et al. (2009) Molecular and clinical assessment in the treatment of AIDS Kaposi sarcoma with valproic Acid. Clin Infect Dis 49:1946-9 |
