Alternative Treatment Strategies in HIV Infection - research platform with integrated biological and clinical objectives

By combining complementary expertise held by our groups and collaborators both nationally and internationally, we will coordinate development of a HIV clinical platform for translational research which is particularly important in HIV infection: Relevant animal models are unavailable, studies of pathophysiological mechanisms require clinical material, and new treatment options need to be implemented in clinical trials much earlier than in most other medical fields. The applicants employ advanced cell bio logical and biochemical methods, and have a significant expertise in the fields of cellular signalling, immune modulation and clinical immunology. Our platform has ongoing collaboration with excellent national and international collaborators that will ser ve the current projects we are developing in terms of technology transfer, transfer of material and exchange of researchers. The platform has an important role to fill the ?missing? clinical link between basic sciences and clinical HIV research in Norway , the latter which requires expertise, proximity to patients, and resources for clinical trials and monitoring. The platform and partners currently have clinical research activities on alternative treatment strategies in HIV through immune modulation. The se activities already keep the platform together and secure further developments, new collaborative projects, and new partners. The objectives of the present platform are fully compatible with objectives of the current call and its strategic plan documen t because the plan priorities include HIV research, development of new drugs for prevention and treatment, as well as the development of strong and sustainable research institutions and research groups, all of which is addressed in the present application .