Neurological AIDS Research Consortium
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Investigator: Diane Havlir, MD
Sponsor: Washington University in St. Louis
Location(s): United States
Description
The Neurologic AIDS Research Consortium (NARC) is supported by the National Institutes of Health to design and carry out clinical trials to improve the therapy for HIV induced neurologic disease, and neurologic conditions associated with the AIDS virus.
This consortium was established in 1993 when the NARC grant submitted by David B. Clifford, M.D. of Washington University School of Medicine was funded by the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to establish the consortium. Since that time the grant has supported studies of the natural history of neurologic performance in advanced AIDS, treatment of HIV associated peripheral neuropathy, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, and cytomegalovirus.
The NARC primarily sponsors studies in conjunction with the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) . The complications of HIV are dynamically evolving over time. In general neurologic complications typically occurring in advanced disease states are increasing in incidence even while some of the early complications associated with AIDS are less commonly encountered due to improved preventive therapy. The impact of the new generation of antiretroviral drugs, and the impact of predominantly multidrug therapy remain to be seen. Several of the key new drugs fail to penetrate the brain, thus making it possible that the incidence of neurologic disease may continue to increase. The Neurologic AIDS Research Consortium is designed to continue to develop studies based on the current challenges of the AIDS epidemic.