MOLECULAR AND IMMUNE INTERDICTION OF AIDS

Situated in the midst of the worst epicenter of AIDS in the U.S., physicians and researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (AECOM) were one of the first to confront this disease at the clinical research and basic research level. The major strength at AECOM rests upon its history of highly interactive research resulting in the translation of findings obtained in the laboratory into resolution of clinical problems. The CFAR at AECOM has attracted investigators with national and international reputations, including four members of the National Academy of Sciences. Our NIAID funded AIDS Research Base consists of 10 grants at a total of $3,391,795, supporting research on the epidemiology, immunology and treatment of HIV infection. We intend to continue to support interactive, collaborative broad-based research by an increasing number of investigators in multiple clinical and scientific disciplines with a major focus on preventive and therapeutic AIDS modalities. We are now well positioned to enhance our effectiveness through an improved infrastructure including: (1) A new 7000 sq ft administrative core with centralized data management and a CFAR dedicated conference room; (2) Expanded existing core with the latest technology that may not otherwise be obtainable; (3) New biohazard cores to accommodate a broader range of research disciplines: P3 virology, SCID- hu/PCR, and Immunology/Vaccine cores. All cores are heavily utilized by multiple investigators and have sustained research and stimulated new ventures; (4) The two previous recipients of CFAR developmental funds obtained AIDS grants and have brought to the CFAR new critical expertise; (5) The AECOM CFAR has gained recognition by the research community and by the community-at-large, creating a climate of mutual trust and collaboration to foster clinical and basic research; (6) The fiscal stability of the CFAR has been secured through the Charge-Back System and through local fundraising. The broad based interactions fostered by the CFAR yielded breakthroughs that would have been unthinkable without the CFAR infrastructure. Promising results have been obtained with synthetic AIDS vaccines which for the first time induced both mucosal and systemic humoral and cellular immune responses in human volunteers. Infrastructure support from the basic science and clinical cores of the AECOM CFAR will be crucial in the successful completion of preventive and therapeutic vaccine development.