Los Angeles, Calif. - The AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), the largest global HIV research network, has been re-funded for the next seven years by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and collaborating NIH Institutes. The group is led by Judith Currier, M.D., M.Sc, Professor of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Joseph Eron M.D., Professor of Medicine, University of North Carolina. The Operations Center is based at UCLA.
"The ACTG is honored to have the continued support of the NIH, which will allow us to continue our robust global research mission," said Dr. Currier. "We are committed to working collaboratively with investigators from around the world to conduct clinical studies that improve the lives of people with HIV."
Founded in 1987, the ACTG was the first clinical trial network to focus on HIV. Its mission is to cure HIV and reduce the burden of disease due to HIV and its complications, including tuberculosis and viral hepatitis. Over the course of 2020, in addition to this work, ACTG has also been leading efforts to identify effective treatments for early COVID-19 by conducting the ACTIV-2 study.
"There remain substantial challenges to developing safe and effective treatments for all people living with HIV and achieving the ultimate goal of sustained remission or an HIV cure," said Dr. Eron. "The ACTG has the infrastructure, expertise, and drive to realize these goals."
The ACTG has sites in 15 countries and includes hundreds of investigators working on a diverse range of clinical trials (a list of active trials can be found here). The research conducted by the ACTG over the past three decades has had a profound impact on the well-being of people living with HIV worldwide and dramatically changed the course of the HIV pandemic.
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In addition to NIAID, the NIH Institutes that provide funding to the ACTG are the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The ACTG also collaborates with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute on the REPRIEVE study.
About the ACTG
Founded in 1987, the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) was the world's first HIV research network. The ACTG conducts groundbreaking studies to improve the treatment of HIV and its complications, including tuberculosis and viral hepatitis; reduce new infections and HIV-related illness; and advance new approaches to prevent, treat, and ultimately cure HIV in adults and children. ACTG investigators and research units in 15 countries serve as major resources for HIV/AIDS research, treatment, care, and training/education in their communities. ACTG studies have helped establish current paradigms for managing HIV disease, and have informed HIV treatment guidelines, resulting in dramatic decreases in HIV-related mortality worldwide.
Media Contact:
Jenna Conley,
AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG)
jenna@conleycommunications.net