Council News Vol. 7, no. 2

NOVEL HIV THERAPIES: INTEGRATED PRECLINICAL/CLINICAL AWARDS
At June Council, NIAID awarded five grants and one supplement (see box below) in
response to program announcement PAR 97-080, targeting the discovery, preclinical
evaluation, development, and pilot clinical study of novel agents and strategies to
suppress HIV replication and interfere with the consequences of infection.
The PA solicited applications for the Integrated Preclinical/Clinical Program (IPCP), which replaces the
National Cooperative Drug Discovery Groups for the Treatment of HIV Infection (NCDDG-HIV) and
the Strategic Program for Innovative Research on AIDS Treatment (SPIRAT). The next application due
date is November 11, 1998.
Development of HIV Co-Receptor Inhibitors
Michael Lederman, Case Western Reserve University
In this new grant, Dr. Lederman and co-workers will perform exclusively preclinical
research to design, synthesize, characterize, and test molecules that inhibit HIV-1 at the
level of entry; AOP-RANTES is the lead molecule.

Project 1 Dr. Robin
Offord, University of
Geneva
Development of New HIV
Co-Receptor Inhibitors

Project 2 Dr. Eric Arts,
Case Western Reserve
University
HIV-1 Resistance to
Chemokine Analogs

Project 3 Dr. Donald
Mosier, The Scripps
Research Institute
Activity of HIV Co-Receptor
Antagonists in hu-PBL-SCID
Mice

Antigen Delivery for Adjuvant HIV Immunotherapy
Charles Rinaldo, University of Pittsburgh
The investigators will use therapeutic vaccination in the context of HAART therapy to
restore HIV-specific T-cell reactivity. In this new grant, two approaches will be used in
preclinical systems: dendritic cell-based immunotherapy and DNA immunization. Pilot
clinical studies will test the ability of HIV-1 antigen- and cytokine-expressing autologous
dendritic cells to improve HIV-specific immune responses in infected people. An SIV
model will test feasibility and proof-of-concept before the PIs begin clinical studies, highlighting a strength of this program in coordinating preclinical and clinical research.

Project 1 Dr. Simon
Barratt- Boyes,
University of Pittsburgh
Dendritic Cell-Based
Adjuvant Therapy for
HIV: SIV Model
Project 2 Dr. Louis
Falo, University of
Pittsburgh
Adjuvant HIV Immuno
therapy: DNA-Based
Immunization
Project 3 Dr. Albert
Donnenberg, University of
Pittsburgh
Direct Measurement of TCell Turnover in SIV
Infection Following
Pharmacological and
Therapeutic Intervention

Project 4 Dr. Cara Wilson,
University of Colorado
Dendritic Cell Therapy for
HIV: Role of Cytokines on
Enhanced T Cell Function
Project 5 Dr. Michael
Lotze, University of
Pittsburg h
DendriticCel Therapydfor

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