ACTG Highlights

Opportunistic Infections Research - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
HIV-ASSOCIATED OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTIONS:
NIAID-SUPPORTED PRECLINICAL AND CLINICAL RESEARCH
The urgent need to develop effective treatments for opportunistic infections (01) that
take advantage of the weakened immune system will become even more pressing in the
1990s as thousands of asymptomatic HIV-infected people become ill.
The first cases of AIDS were brought to light by the observation of increasing
frequencies of such illnesses as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) and ulcerative
herpes among homosexual men. Since then, the range of HIV-associated Ols has continued
to expand.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under the
leadership of its director, Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., has designated the understanding and
treatment of HIV-associated Ols as high priority research areas. One-third of both the
active clinical trials sponsored by NIAID's nationwide AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG)
and the clinical trials being conducted by NIAID intramural staff in Bethesda, Md., are
evaluating agents to treat Ols.
Preclinical Research
The Developmental Therapeutics Branch (DTB), part of DAIDS, coordinates the
major share of NIAID-supported preclinical investigations of HIV-associated Ols. DTB
serves as a national resource for any individual or group of scientists interested in
developing drugs against such Ols.
Traditionally, most drugs for infectious diseases have been discovered through
random drug screening. Random screening of drugs for anti-HIV activity continues under
a National Cancer Institute program. DTB, on the other hand, focuses on a newer
approach to finding anti-HIV and anti-Of agents. This approach is called targeted drug
discovery: that is, learning as much about the microbe as possible, and designing drugs
that hone in on vulnerable targets of that microbe.
To facilitate the discovery and development of promising anti-Of agents, DTB has
in place specific programs that foster collaborations between government, academic, and.