Adolescent Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions

描述（由申请人提供）：马里兰大学巴尔的摩分校（UMB） STAR TRACK青少年艾滋病毒项目（STAR TRACK项目）是一个在青少年艾滋病毒研究领域具有丰富经验的临床和研究单位。STAR TRACK是马里兰州唯一一家专门为青少年提供艾滋病毒服务的机构，拥有全面的“一站式”护理模式、全州范围的社区外展计划、通过青少年特定艾滋病毒咨询和测试单位开展的艾滋病毒早期识别计划，以及社区研究伙伴关系Connect to Protect Baltimore。从1994年到2000年，我们的项目一直是青少年艾滋病毒/艾滋病研究网络（AMHARN）和青少年试验网络（ATN）的15个站点之一，从2001年到现在，我们在招募、保留、站点性能和质量保证方面都取得了成功的记录。目前，ATN UMB单位在全国其他15个单位中排名第一。我们的PI、研究协调员、研究助理和青年社区咨询委员会成员积极参与并为ATN的使命和目标做出了贡献。我们的项目在招募和留住艾滋病毒阳性和艾滋病毒青少年、临床护理和研究方面有着丰富的经验，有110名艾滋病毒阳性青年（其中30人正在向成人护理过渡）和大约3000名艾滋病毒青年。STARTRACK与UMB另外两家针对成人和儿科患者的艾滋病毒诊所建立了强有力的临床和研究合作关系，共有228名24岁以下的活跃艾滋病毒感染者，其中许多人有研究经验。我们的项目有经验丰富的青少年研究人员和研究协调员，以及马里兰大学儿童免疫学部门和人类病毒学研究所的基础和临床研究人员。这些研究人员在多中心合作试验中具有广泛的领导记录，并通过制定协议和以多种方式为研究议程做出了重大贡献。社区外展、艾滋病毒的早期识别、与护理和研究的联系以及全面的初级和亚专科护理之间的紧密联系，是STAR TRACK结构的内在特征，有助于实现ATN的主要目标。这些关系也为扩大学科招募提供了一个很好的结构。该申请详细说明了马里兰大学青少年医学试验单位（AMTU）目前开展与艾滋病毒一级、二级和三级预防相关的研究方案的临床和研究能力。这项研究的高危人群包括高危性少数群体和异性恋青年，以及少数民族和滥用药物的青年。此外，它还包括处于过渡性住房状况和辍学的青年。此外，与经验丰富的实验室、数据库管理人员和马里兰大学其他具有艾滋病毒临床试验和疫苗开发专业知识的科学家的密切合作，为丰富ATN的基础科学和实验室议程提供了最佳环境。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB) STAR TRACK Adolescent HIV Program (STAR TRACK Program) is a clinical and research unit with significant experience in the areas of adolescent HIV research. STAR TRACK is the only adolescent exclusive HIV service in the state of Maryland and has a comprehensive "one stop shopping" model of care, a state wide community outreach program, an HIV early identification program through an adolescent specific HIV counseling and testing unit, and a community researcher partnership Connect to Protect Baltimore. Our program has been one of 15 sites of the Adolescent HIV/AIDS Research Network (AMHARN) from 1994-2000 and the Adolescent Trials Network (ATN) from 2001 to present with a successful track record of recruitment, retention, site performance and quality assurance. At the present time, the ATN UMB unit is ranked first in recruitment out of the other 15 units nationally. Our PI, study coordinators, research assistants, and Youth Community Advisory Board member have productively participated in and contributed towards the ATN mission and its goals. Our program has extensive experience in the recruitment and retention of HIV+ and HIV- adolescents, in clinical care and research, has a caseload of 110 HFV+ youths (30 of who are in transition to adult care) and approximately 3,000 HIV-youths. STARTRACK has strong clinical and research collaborations with the two other UMB HIV clinics for adults and pediatric patients for a total of 228 active HIV infected young people under the age of 24 many of whom have research experience. Our program has highly experienced adolescent researchers and study coordinators as well as basic and clinical researchers of the Division of Pediatric Immunology and the Institute of Human Virology of the University of Maryland. These investigators have an extensive track record of leadership in multi center collaborative trials and have made significant contributions to the ATN research agenda by developing protocols and contributing in many ways to the research agenda. The tight interface between community outreach, early identification of HIV, linkage to care and research, and comprehensive primary and sub specialty care, intrinsic to STAR TRACK'S structure, facilitates the major goals of the ATN. These relationships also provide a great structure to expand subject recruitment. This application details the current clinical and research capacity of the Adolescent Medicine Trial Unit (AMTU) at the University of Maryland to conduct research protocols related to the primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of HIV. High-risk populations available for this research include high-risk sexual minority and heterosexual youths, as well as ethnic minority and substance abusing youths. In addition, it includes youths in transitional housing situations and school dropouts. Furthermore, the strong collaboration with an experienced laboratory, database manager and other University of Maryland scientists with expertise in HIV clinical trials and vaccine development provides an optimal environment for enriching the basic science and laboratory-based agenda of the ATN.