[Promotional Materials, International Conference on AIDS (13th : 2000 : Durban, South Africa)]

* Targeted Research Projects...

Targeted research is our team approach to scientific study and investigation of issues related to
pediatric HIV/AIDS. A condition to participation in these studies is the willingness to
collaborate. The Foundation is unique in its insistence on accountability, quality control of
samples and data, and sharing of research findings. The topics are in areas specifically targeted
as critical. The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation currently funds and conducts two
targeted research projects: The Ariel Project for the Prevention of HIV Transmission from
Mother to Infant and the new cutting-edge Early Treatment Study.
The Ariel Project for the Prevention of HIV Transmission from Mother to
Infant is a five-year, $10-million project bringing together key researchers and
clinicians throughout the United States to collaborate for a single purpose: obtain
scientific data which will reveal new ways to block HIV transmission from a
pregnant woman to her newborn.
Of the 211 pregnant women enrolled in the study, only 19 of them delivered HIVinfected infants. This was made possible because 85% of the mothers were given
AZT to reduce HIV transmission. From this project, we have discovered several
important findings including the significant increase in the amount of virus present
in the mother several months after delivery. Further investigation may reveal
whether or not pregnancy creates a protective mechanism against HIV, which could
be why there is a sharp rise in viral load after the baby is born. The findings also
indicate that while viral load during pregnancy was correlated with transmission,
there was not a threshold of viral load that was predictive of transmission. Our
study also suggests that HIV transmission is likely influenced by the combination of
prolonged rupture of membranes and acute inflammation of the placenta,
chorioamnionitis.
The Early Treatment Study addresses the critical need for the evaluation of novel
drug therapies in the pediatric population. Only six of the eleven antiretrovirals
licensed for the treatment of HIV infection in adults are approved for use in
children, and even fewer are available for infants. This groundbreaking pilot study
will focus on early, aggressive therapy of newly infected infants with a three-drug
combination therapy. It is designed to help determine the effects of early, intensive
treatment on preserving the function of immune cells, to calculate the parameters
of virus replication. We hope to test the hypothesis that the viral load can be
decreased to an undetectable level and maintained to two years of age, with the
potential of eradicating the virus from newborns. The first HIV-infected infants
have recently been enrolled in the study with a goal of enrolling 18 infants within
six months.