ADULT AIDS CLINICAL TRIALS UNIT

DESCRIPTION (adapted from application's abstract): The NYU/Bellevue Adult AIDS Clinical Trials Unit propose to investigate new candidate drugs and to design more potent combination regimens using existing agents with the ultimate goals of suppressing HIV replication in all cellular and anatomic compartments of infected individuals, and of eliminating all latently infected cells. Achieving these goals requires an increase in understanding of virologic and host immunologic factors governing the pathogenesis of HIV disease. This ACTU proposes to study methods to increase the effectiveness of therapeutic regimens and the ease with which the drugs can be taken while decreasing their side effects. The unit also proposes to work to improve the prevention and treatment of the complications of HIV infection. This unit has the ability to study the immunopathogenesis of the disease and to modulate immune responses to HIV itself. The ACTU will investigate combinations of antiretroviral therapy and immunotherapy that have the potential of establishing immunological control of HIV infection similar to that presumed to be present in some long-term non-progressors. The unit states it has a tradition of generating the highest possible quality of data, and in enabling medically under-served minorities to access the newest experimental therapies and proposes to continue this work.