AIDS Research Alliance

Last updated
AIDS Research Alliance of America
Founded1989
Location
Area served
United States
Key people
Carolyn H. Carlburg, J.D., Chief Executive Officer Stephen J. Brown, M.D., Medical Director
Website AIDS Research Alliance: Home

AIDS Research Alliance of America (ARAA) was a national community-based 501(c)(3) non-profit medical research institution that sought to develop a cure for HIV/AIDS, medical strategies to prevent new HIV infections and better treatments for people living with HIV/AIDS. [1] From 1989 to 2015, ARAA conducted over 150 clinical and pre-clinical studies, [2] ranging from alternative therapies [3] [4] [5] that employed a complementary approach to HIV care to the first in-human HIV vaccine trial. [6] AIDS Research Alliance was partly responsible for "fast-tracking" to market half of today's anti-HIV treatments.

Contents

History

In 1989, a group of Southern California physicians and philanthropists, led by Paul Joseph Rothman, M.D. and Matthew Rushton, Hollywood film producer of Mrs. Doubtfire , founded Search Alliance to speed the discovery and development of effective treatments against HIV and its complications. [7]

Working with physicians who were experimenting with potential treatments in their private practices, the organization pooled data and identified promising experimental regimens. The staff designed the studies, coordinated the data collection of Alliance physicians, and analyzed and published the results. [8]

In 1995, Search Alliance changed its name to AIDS Research Alliance of America and centralized all research activities in one licensed facility based in Los Angeles. [8] This allowed ARAA to identify and manage scientific, clinical and organizational strategies with a staff of dedicated research professionals, while maintaining affiliations with physicians, academics and scientists in research institutions around the world. [9] [10] [11] [12]

In 2009, ARAA relocated from West Hollywood, where it had been located for 14 years, to a larger research facility in downtown Los Angeles. [13]

As a community-based organization, ARAA served as a bridge between communities at risk of HIV and government-funded research. It collaborated with government-sponsored researchers and pharmaceutical companies, but also advocated for and conducted research that was not driven by the demand for profitability. [14] ARAA was licensed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop a drug to combat HIV - prostratin. [15] Carolyn H. Carlburg, J.D. was the last Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, [16] [17] and Stephen J. Brown, M.D. was the Medical Director. [18]

Research

AIDS Research Alliance of America focused its research and development program on several core areas, including the clinical trials of anti-HIV drugs that inhibited the virus in novel ways, and new medical strategies – like microbicides and vaccines – that prevented the spread of HIV. [19] ARAA conducted clinical trials aimed at treating the medical disorders that accompany HIV, including HIV-associated lipodystrophy, [20] diarrhea and neuropathy. [21] Developing strategies that eliminated HIV viral reservoirs became a major research initiative of ARAA. [22] This included its work on prostratin, [23] a potential reservoir ablative agent that ARAA had in-licensed from NIH. [15] In 2008, ARAA filed a new patent on prostratin and its analogues, thus broadening its research platform targeting the HIV reservoirs. [24]

Funding

AIDS Research Alliance of America funded its research by using a business model that included contract research as well as tax-deductible donations from private individuals, corporations and foundations. ARAA conducted clinical trials for major pharmaceutical sponsors including Pfizer, Merck, Theratechnologies, Schering-Plough, Tibotec, NeurogesX, National Institutes of Health, Serono, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Agouron, GlaxoSmithKline, Orasure Technologies, Gilead Sciences, and many others. [25] [26] [27] [28]

Funders and partners to ARAA included The Ahmanson Foundation, Capital Group Companies, City of West Hollywood, Concord Music Group, David Michod, Douglas MacBride Kinney, Entertainment AIDS Alliance, The Joseph Drown Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, MacHeist, [29] The MacDonald Family Foundation, The Pepsi Refresh Project, The Silva Watson Moon Walk Fund, The University Wide AIDS Research Program [the University of California], the Division of AIDS [NIH], Until There is a Cure, and many others. [30]

ARAA participated each year in the Combined Federal Campaign, [31] as part of the Medical Research Charities Federation and received high ratings from the American Institute of Philanthropy [32] and Charity Navigator. [33] ARAA hosted a number of fundraising events – including ArtSeen featuring A Taste of Los Angeles [34] and was a beneficiary of events like Macy's Passport In-Store, Spinning Nation and the Game Show Congress.[ citation needed ]

ARAA previously earned three and four-star ratings from Charity Navigator for exceeding or meeting industry standards and performing as well as or better than most charities in its space. [35]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microbicides for sexually transmitted diseases</span> Pharmacologic agents and chemical substances

Microbicides for sexually transmitted diseases are pharmacologic agents and chemical substances that are capable of killing or destroying certain microorganisms that commonly cause human infection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prostratin</span> Chemical compound

Prostratin is a protein kinase C activator found in the bark of the mamala tree of Samoa, Homalanthus nutans (Euphorbiaceae). While prostratin was originally isolated and identified as a new phorbol ester from species of the genus Pimelea (Thymelaceae) in Australia, the antiviral activity of prostratin was discovered during research on the traditional knowledge of Samoan healers in Falealupo village by ethnobotanist Paul Alan Cox and a team at the U.S. National Cancer Institute. Samoan healers use the mamala tree to treat hepatitis. Research indicated that prostratin has potential to be useful in the treatment of HIV as it could flush viral reservoirs in latently infected CD4+ T-cells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tibotec</span>

Tibotec was a pharmaceutical company with a focus on research and development for the treatment of infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C. The company was founded in 1994 and then acquired by Johnson & Johnson and merged into its Janssen Pharmaceuticals division in 2002.

The European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) is a partnership between the European Union (EU), Norway, Switzerland and developing countries and other donors, as well as the pharmaceutical industry, to enable clinical trials and the development of new medicines and vaccines against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. The need for global action against these diseases in order to promote poverty reduction has been recognised by the United Nations, the G8, and the African Union, and the program envisioned the provision of €600 million for the period 2003–2007 in order to translate medical research results into clinical applications relevant to the needs of developing countries.

The Division of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (DAIDS) is a division of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which is part of the National Institutes of Health. It was formed in 1986 as a part of the initiative to address the national research needs created by the advent and spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Specifically, the Division's mission is to increase basic knowledge of the pathogenesis, natural history, and transmission of HIV disease and to support research that promotes progress in its detection, treatment, and prevention. DAIDS accomplishes this through planning, implementing, managing, and evaluating programs in (1) fundamental basic research, (2) discovery and development of therapies for HIV infection and its complications, and (3) discovery and development of vaccines and other prevention strategies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HIV/AIDS</span> Spectrum of conditions caused by HIV infection

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raltegravir</span> Chemical compound

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The Terry Beirn Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS (CPCRA) was a program sponsored by National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States. Started in 1989, CPCRA was instrumental in some research databases being established. Research from the programs assisted the evaluation of therapies for treating HIV in diverse populations.

CAPRISA 004 is the name of a clinical trial conducted by CAPRISA. This particular study was the first to show that a topical gel could reduce a person's risk of contracting HIV. The gel used in the study contained a microbicide.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quarraisha Abdool Karim</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salim Abdool Karim</span> South African medical researcher

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Suniti Solomon was an Indian physician and microbiologist who pioneered AIDS research and prevention in India after having diagnosed the first Indian AIDS cases among the Chennai sex workers in 1986 along with her student Sellappan Nirmala. She founded the Y R Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education in Chennai. The Indian government conferred the National Women Bio-scientist Award on her. On 25 January 2017, the Government of India awarded her the Padma Shri for medicine for her contributions towards diagnosis and treatment of HIV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dapivirine Ring</span> Antiretroviral vaginal ring

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References

  1. ↑ "CenterWatch Research Center Profile Pages". Centerwatch.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  2. ↑ "CenterWatch". Search.centerwatch.com. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  3. ↑ J Kaiser; J Ondercin; G Santos; G Leoung; S Brown; M Mass; M Baum (February 8–11, 2004). Broad-Spectrum Micronutrient Supplementation in HIV-infected Patients With Dideoxynucleoside-related Peripheral Neuropathy: A Prospective, Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Trial (PDF). 11th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. San Francisco. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 21, 2006.
  4. ↑ "Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research Report on the 11th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, February 2004". Fiar.us. February 10, 2004. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  5. ↑ Bergner, Paul (2001). "Allium sativum: Antibiotic and Immune Properties". Medical Herbalism. North American Institute of Medical Herbalism. Archived from the original on August 17, 2004. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  6. ↑ Brown SJ; Harro C; Mayer KH; Bartholow BN; Buchbinder S; Mastro TD; Judson F; Gorse GJ; et al. (July 2003). VaxGen AIDSVAX B/B Vaccine Trial: Recruitment, Demographics, and Changes in Risk Behaviors - Lessons for Future Trials. National HIV Prevention Conference. Atlanta, Georgia, United States. T3-D0502. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  7. ↑ "AIDS Research Alliance website". Aidsresearch.org. Archived from the original on December 8, 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  8. 1 2 "AIDS Research Alliance website, retrieved 05/01/09". Aidsresearch.org. Archived from the original on December 8, 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  9. ↑ Poles, Michael A.; Boscardin, W. John; Elliott, Julie; Taing, Philip; Fuerst, Marie M.P.; McGowan, Ian; Brown, Stephen; Anton, Peter A. (2006). "Lack of Decay of HIV-1 in Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissue Reservoirs in Maximally Suppressed Individuals". Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. 43 (1): 65–8. doi: 10.1097/01.qai.0000230524.71717.14 . PMID   16936559. S2CID   8761240.
  10. ↑ "Anorectal Microbicide Project – Rectal Health Behaviors & Microbicide Acceptability. consent form; National Institutes of Health June 2006". Mdp.ctrl.ucla.edu. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  11. ↑ Biancotto, A.; Grivel, J.-C.; Gondois-Rey, F.; Bettendroffer, L.; Vigne, R.; Brown, S.; Margolis, L. B.; Hirsch, I. (2004). "Dual Role of Prostratin in Inhibition of Infection and Reactivation of Human Immunodeficiency Virus from Latency in Primary Blood Lymphocytes and Lymphoid Tissue". Journal of Virology. 78 (19): 10507–15. doi:10.1128/JVI.78.19.10507-10515.2004. PMC   516376 . PMID   15367617.
  12. ↑ Hendrix, CW; Collier, AC; Lederman, MM; Schols, D; Pollard, RB; Brown, S; Jackson, JB; Coombs, RW; Glesby, MJ; Flexner, CW; Bridger, GJ; Badel, K; MacFarland, RT; Henson, GW; Calandra, G; Amd3100 Hiv Study, Group (2004). "Safety, pharmacokinetics, and antiviral activity of AMD3100, a selective CXCR4 receptor inhibitor, in HIV-1 infection". Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. 37 (2): 1253–62. doi: 10.1097/01.qai.0000137371.80695.ef . PMID   15385732. S2CID   22411443.
  13. ↑ "Research space: AIDS Research Alliance has leased office space at the California Professional Center building. Los Angeles Business Journal 12/01/08".
  14. ↑ Trials By Fire. Williams, S; POZ No. 12, P. 56; (02/96-03/96)
  15. 1 2 "Federal Register 2000: 65 FR 79873 Prospective Grant of Exclusive License: Treatment of HIV". Loislaw.com. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Forbes.com retrieved 05/08/06". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 20, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  17. ↑ "The Chronicle of Philanthropy v.17 06/01/2005". Philanthropy.com. May 12, 2005. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  18. ↑ "AIDS Researchers Say the Work is Personal. Fair F; NYU Journalism School – NYC Pavement Pieces 01/11/08". Journalism.nyu.edu. Archived from the original on June 18, 2010. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  19. ↑ "AIDS Research Alliance website". Aidsresearch.org. Archived from the original on December 29, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  20. ↑ Grunfeld, C; Leighty, M; Shen, SJ; Brouwers, G; Lee, D; Muurahainen, N; Kotler, DP; Study 24380 Investigators, Group (2007). "Recombinant human growth hormone to treat HIV-associated adipose redistribution syndrome: 12 week induction and 24-week maintenance therapy". Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. 45 (3): 286–97. doi: 10.1097/QAI.0b013e3180691145 . PMID   17592343. INIST:18907012.
  21. ↑ Simpson, D. M.; Brown, S.; Tobias, J.; Ngx-4010 c107 Study, Group (2008). "Controlled trial of high-concentration capsaicin patch for treatment of painful HIV neuropathy". Neurology. 70 (24): 2305–13. doi:10.1212/01.wnl.0000314647.35825.9c. PMID   18541884. S2CID   45796136.
  22. ↑ Stix, Gary (May 13, 2008). "Luring HIV from Hiding". Scientific American. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  23. ↑ Hezareh, M (2005). "Prostratin as a new therapeutic agent targeting HIV viral reservoirs". Drug News & Perspectives. 18 (8): 496–500. doi:10.1358/dnp.2005.18.8.944543. PMID   16391719.
  24. ↑ Methods of Administering Prostratin and Structured Analogues Thereof. United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) (ISA/US), April 11, 2008
  25. ↑ "Hydroxychloroquine+ddI+Hydroxyurea antiretroviral trial, AIDS Research Alliance, Los Angeles". AIDS Treatment News (332): 8. 1999. PMID   11367131.
  26. ↑ "Business Wire 03/29/01". Aegis.com. March 29, 2001. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  27. ↑ "None".
  28. ↑ "Financial Times – Europe Intelligence Wire 08/29/06". Accessmylibrary.com. August 29, 2006. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  29. ↑ "MacHeist raises $500,000 for Charity. Wolsey, G;". Macteens. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
  30. ↑ "AIDS Research Alliance 2007 Annual Report". Aidsresearch.org. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  31. ↑ "Federal Globe website". Fedglobe.org. Archived from the original on August 1, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  32. ↑ Daniel Borochoff (August 24, 2002). "American Institute of Philanthropy Charity Listing". Charitywatch.org. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  33. ↑ "Charity Navigator". Charity Navigator. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  34. ↑ "YouTube ArtSeen Footage". Youtube. June 4, 2007. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  35. ↑ "Charity Navigator". Charity Navigator. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
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