ACTG: AIDS Clinical Trials Group

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Investigator: Francesca Aweeka, PharmD
Sponsor: Brigham and Women's Hospital

Location(s): Kenya; Malawi; Uganda; Botswana; South Africa; China; Peru

Description

The AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) was initially established in 1987 to broaden the scope of the AIDS research effort of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The ACTG established and supports the largest Network of expert clinical and translational investigators and therapeutic clinical trials units in the world, including sites in resource-limited countries. These investigators and units serve as the major resource for HIV/AIDS research, treatment, care, and training/education in their communities.

The work accomplished by the ACTG has had a profound impact on the well-being of persons infected with HIV-1. Clinical trials and laboratory studies conducted by the ACTG have made major contributions to optimizing antiretroviral therapy (ART), managing drug resistance, preventing and treating co-infections, evaluating acute and long-term toxicities, and demonstrating the importance of pharmacogenomics in predicting drug toxicities. Results of these studies have helped establish the paradigm for the management of HIV disease and form the basis of current treatment guidelines. This progress in the treatment of HIV-1-infected individuals has resulted in dramatic reductions in AIDS mortality in the U.S. and other countries of the developed world.

The mission of the ACTG is to develop and conduct scientifically rigorous translational research and therapeutic clinical trials in the U.S. and internationally that

  1. Investigate the viral and immune pathogenesis of HIV-1 infection and its complications;
  2. Evaluate novel therapeutic agents and the most effective approaches and strategies for the use of existing agents to treat HIV-1 infection;
  3. Evaluate interventions and strategies to treat and prevent HIV-related opportunistic infections, co-infections, complications of therapies, and other HIV-1-related co-morbidities;
  4. Publish and disseminate the findings from these studies to improve clinical care, prevent or delay HIV disease progression, and reduce or eliminate the morbidity and mortality associated with HIV-1 infection and its associated complications.