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Current ResearchThe Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) HIV/AIDS Program sees more HIV-infected patients than any other clinic in Minnesota. The Hennepin AIDS/HIV AIDS Research/Education Center (HARC) is an MMRF designated research program whose purpose is to support education for persons living with HIV and their families and friends, and to provide opportunities for participation in clinical trials related to care of these persons. HARC is the largest member of the Aids Research Consortium of the Twin Cities (ARCTC) and it collaborates nationally and locally to bring clinical trail opportunities to patients at HCMC. HARC is also part of the Aids Clinical Trial Group which is a National Institutes of Health funded group of institutions nationwide whose mission is to study HIV disease and its complications. ACTG Studies Longitudinal Study — Designed for those already participating in an ACTG study. Objectives are to define and evaluate effective therapeutic regimens, various factors and predictors of long-term suppression, as well as metabolic complication of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART). Subjects will be studied at 16-week intervals for duration of approximately 5 years. No treatment regimen is given. Protease Inhibitor Treatment Failure Trial — An open-label trial using Indinavir and Ritonavir in subjects currently failing their treatment regimen of Amprenavir, Nelfinavir or Saquinavir. Must be their initial therapy regimen. HIV Vaccine Study (treatment vaccine) — This study will evaluate the effect of an HIV vaccine (Remune) on the time to virologic relapse in subjects already on stable potent antiretroviral therapy for at least 12 weeks. ARCTC Studies HIV Vaccine Study (prevention vaccine) — This is the world’s first full-scale test of a vaccine to prevent infection with the AIDS virus. The study involves 5,000 uninfected male and female volunteers who are at high-risk of acquiring the virus through sexual contact. Participants will receive seven vaccinations over a three-year period. Two-thirds of the participants will receive placebo. This study is a double-blind which means that neither the participants nor researchers will know who received the vaccine. Advanced Disease Drug Study — This trial will determine the safety and effectiveness of a new experimental I.V. drug, called WF10, for patients with late stage HIV. Although the FDA has not approved WF10, studies have shown that WF10 may boost the immune system. WF10 will be administered every day for 5 days (90 minutes each day), for 4 weeks, with each week being separated by 16 days. Abacavir Switch Study — A 24-week pilot study to evaluate whether an Abacavir regimen is as effective in suppressing HIV-1 RNA to <400 copies by the end of week 24 as a protease inhibitor (PI) containing regimen OR continuing with their current regimen and stopping the PI. Prevalence of Anemia in HIV-Infected subjects — The objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence of anemia in HIV-infected individuals being seen in a variety of outpatient care sites and to define sub-groups of HIV-infected individuals with the highest prevalence of anemia. This is a single visit with a duration of approximately 20 minutes. Case Management HIV is overwhelming from a social, financial and personal standpoint and patients have additional problems beyond the disease that need to be managed. Through a case management grant, administered by the MMRF, HARC has on-site, funded case managers who help patients with issues surrounding their disease such as housing and financial aid. Program staff helps patients access the system, empowers them and educates them on resources available to manage their lives as well as their disease. They also educate them on the risks of transmitting HIV to others and ways to avoid that risk.
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