The AIDS Clinical Trials Group network (ACTG) is one of the largest

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

clinical trials organizations in the world, playing a major role in setting standards of care for HIV infection and opportunistic diseases related to HIV and

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and the

developing world A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreem ...

. The ACTG is composed of, and directed by, leading clinical scientists in HIV/AIDS therapeutic research. The ACTG is funded by the

Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is " ...

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

through the

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID, ) is one of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). NIAID's ...

Mission

Through innovative studies of the treatment of HIV-1 infection and its complications, ACTG research focuses on: * New therapies based on knowledge of the cellular events and reactions in the development of disease (pathogenesis) * Treatment strategies to limit replication of HIV-1 and improve disease-free survival among infected individuals * Rapid development of agents (drugs or treatment strategies) that prevent or delay the complications of HIV-related disorders * HIV-1 pathogenesis through advanced laboratory investigation * Recruitment and retention of clinical trial participants who reflect the changing demographics of the AIDS epidemic * Therapeutic approaches that improve quality of life for persons with HIV-1 infection

History

The ACTG has been pivotal in providing the data necessary for the approval of therapeutic agents, as well as treatment and prevention strategies, for many opportunistic infections and malignancies. :In 1986, the original AIDS Treatment and Evaluation Units were established by the National Institutes of Health. :In 1987, the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) was established by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. :In 1991, the ACTG divided its focus into two groups and created the Adult ACTG (AACTG) and the Pediatric ACTG (PACTG). :In 1995 the AACTG restructured and created a true self-governing structure, with self-evaluation of sites, priority setting of scientific research, discretionary spending. The PACTG became its own group and an AIDS Malignancy Consortium was established under the National Cancer Institute. :In 1999 the AACTG applied for continued funding as an investigator led and run group :In 2000, the AACTG began the planning and development of international research initiatives in the developing world. :In 2005, the ACTG opened its first multinational AIDS clinical trial in 16 sites around the globe “A Phase IV, Prospective, Randomized, Open-Label Evaluation of the Efficacy of Once-Daily PI & Once-Daily Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor - Containing Therapy Combinations for Initial Treatment of HIV-1 Infected individuals from Resource - Limited Settings (PEARLS) Trial”, the results of which suggested men and women respond to antiretroviral drugs differently. :In 2006, the network was funded as one of the six NIAID-funded HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials Networks.

Scientific accomplishments

* Integral involvement in new

antiretroviral drug The management of HIV/AIDS normally includes the use of multiple antiretroviral drugs as a strategy to control HIV infection. There are several classes of antiretroviral agents that act on different stages of the HIV life-cycle. The use of multiple ...

development:

Zidovudine Zidovudine (ZDV), also known as azidothymidine (AZT), is an antiretroviral medication used to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS. It is generally recommended for use in combination with other antiretrovirals. It may be used to prevent mother-to-child ...

Zalcitabine Zalcitabine (2′-3′-dideoxycytidine, ddC), also called dideoxycytidine, is a nucleoside analog reverse-transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) sold under the trade name Hivid. Zalcitabine was the third antiretroviral to be approved by the Food and Drug A ...

Didanosine Didanosine (ddI, DDI), sold under the brand name Videx, is a medication used to treat HIV/AIDS. It is used in combination with other medications as part of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). It is of the reverse-transcriptase inhibitor ...

Stavudine Stavudine (d4T), sold under the brand name Zerit among others, is an antiretroviral medication used to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS. It is generally recommended for use with other antiretrovirals. It may be used for prevention after a needlestick i ...

nevirapine Nevirapine (NVP), sold under the brand name Viramune among others, is a medication used to treat and prevent HIV/AIDS, specifically HIV-1. It is generally recommended for use with other antiretroviral medications. It may be used to prevent mothe ...

delavirdine Delavirdine (DLV) (brand name Rescriptor) is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) marketed by ViiV Healthcare. It is used as part of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for the treatment of human immunodeficiency vir ...

indinavir Indinavir (IDV; trade name Crixivan, made by Merck) is a protease inhibitor used as a component of highly active antiretroviral therapy to treat HIV/AIDS. It is soluble white powder administered orally in combination with other antiviral drugs. ...

amprenavir Amprenavir (original brand name Agenerase, GlaxoSmithKline) is a protease inhibitor (pharmacology), protease inhibitor used to treat HIV infection. It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on April 15, 1999, for twice-a-day dosing in ...

ritonavir Ritonavir, sold under the brand name Norvir, is an antiretroviral drug used along with other medications to treat HIV/AIDS. This combination treatment is known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Ritonavir is a protease inhibitor a ...

* Established standards for evaluation of combination antiretroviral therapy with

nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors Reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (RTIs) are a class of antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV infection or AIDS, and in some cases hepatitis B. RTIs inhibit activity of reverse transcriptase, a viral DNA polymerase that is required for replicatio ...

and

protease inhibitors Protease inhibitors (PIs) are medications that act by interfering with enzymes that cleave proteins. Some of the most well known are antiviral drugs widely used to treat HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C. These protease inhibitors prevent viral replicat ...

::Strategies for sequencing of regimens or enhancing their activity ::Evaluation of approaches to salvage therapy ::Evaluation of novel immune-based therapies using

interferon Interferons (IFNs, ) are a group of signaling proteins made and released by host cells in response to the presence of several viruses. In a typical scenario, a virus-infected cell will release interferons causing nearby cells to heighten the ...

GM-CSF Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), also known as colony-stimulating factor 2 (CSF2), is a monomeric glycoprotein secreted by macrophages, T cells, mast cells, natural killer cells, endothelial cells and fibroblasts that ...

G-CSF Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF or GCSF), also known as colony-stimulating factor 3 (CSF 3), is a glycoprotein that stimulates the bone marrow to produce granulocytes and stem cells and release them into the bloodstream. Functional ...

thalidomide Thalidomide, sold under the brand names Contergan and Thalomid among others, is a medication used to treat a number of cancers (including multiple myeloma), graft-versus-host disease, and a number of skin conditions including complications of ...

IL-2 The Ilyushin Il-2 (Russian language, Russian: Илью́шин Ил-2) is a Ground attack aircraft, ground-attack plane that was produced by the Soviet Union in large numbers during the World War II, Second World War. The word ''shturmovík'' (C ...

, IL-12,

cyclosporin Ciclosporin, also spelled cyclosporine and cyclosporin, is a calcineurin inhibitor, used as an immunosuppressant medication. It is a natural product. It is taken orally or intravenously for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn's disease ...

(CsA),

prednisone Prednisone is a glucocorticoid medication mostly used to immunosuppressive drug, suppress the immune system and decrease inflammation in conditions such as asthma, COPD, and rheumatologic diseases. It is also used to treat high blood calcium ...

cytotoxic agents Cytotoxicity is the quality of being toxic to cells. Examples of toxic agents are an immune cell or some types of venom, e.g. from the puff adder (''Bitis arietans'') or brown recluse spider (''Loxosceles reclusa''). Cell physiology Treating cells ...

therapeutic immunization A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many differen ...

* Evaluation of pharmacokinetics of novel agents and important drug interactions * Established standard of care for treatment and prevention of HIV-1 associated opportunistic complications: ::

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia ''Pneumocystis'' pneumonia (PCP), also known as ''Pneumocystis jirovecii'' pneumonia (PJP), is a form of pneumonia that is caused by the yeast-like fungus ''Pneumocystis jirovecii''. ''Pneumocystis'' specimens are commonly found in the lungs of ...

Cytomegalovirus ''Cytomegalovirus'' (''CMV'') (from ''cyto-'' 'cell' via Greek - 'container' + 'big, megalo-' + -''virus'' via Latin 'poison') is a genus of viruses in the order ''Herpesvirales'', in the family ''Herpesviridae'', in the subfamily ''Betaherpe ...

retinitis ::

Cryptococcal meningitis Cryptococcosis is a potentially fatal mycosis, fungal infection of mainly the lungs, presenting as a pneumonia, and brain, where it appears as a meningitis. Cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, chest pain and fever are seen when the ...

:: Toxoplasmic encephalitis ::

Hepatitis B Hepatitis B is an infectious disease caused by the ''Hepatitis B virus'' (HBV) that affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. It can cause both acute and chronic infection. Many people have no symptoms during an initial infection. Fo ...

and

Hepatitis C Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that primarily affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. During the initial infection people often have mild or no symptoms. Occasionally a fever, dark urine, a ...

Histoplasmosis Histoplasmosis is a fungal infection caused by ''Histoplasma capsulatum''. Symptoms of this infection vary greatly, but the disease affects primarily the lungs. Occasionally, other organs are affected; called disseminated histoplasmosis, it can ...

:: Herpes virus infections ::

Mycobacterium avium complex ''Mycobacterium avium ''complex is a group of mycobacteria comprising ''Mycobacterium intracellulare'' and ''Mycobacterium avium'' that are commonly grouped because they infect humans together; this group, in turn, is part of the group of nontub ...

disease ::

Tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

* Established standard of care for treatment of HIV-1 associated malignancies * Evaluation of neurologic complications of HIV/AIDS - dementia, sensory neuropathy

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aids Clinical Trials Group United States Department of Health and Human Services HIV/AIDS organizations in the United States