Grant: Planning Grants - Priority Announcement: HIV/AIDS

The international strategy of the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN) involves establishing partnerships with international researchers and designating global affiliate sites for research, including clinical trials. Dr. Jean-Pierre Routy (McGill University), is a co-leader of the CTN Vaccines and Immunotherapies Core. Dr Routy has an established relationship with Chinese physician -researcher, Dr Taisheng Li, MD, PhD (Director of Peking University Medical Centre Hospital (PUMCH) and Director of Internal Medicine in Beijing, China). Dr Li is also the Head of the Group AIDS Chinese Medical Association. Drs. Routy and Li share a mutual interest in immune system changes after HIV infection, and immune system recovery. The Chinese government has recently increased funding for HIV/AIDS-related research and care for the estimated 740,000 Chinese persons infected with HIV, of which 320,000 are confirmed cases. Currently, only approximately one-third of Chinese patients diagnosed with HIV are receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), meaning clinical research partnerships with China stand to have a substantial impact in terms of enhancing patient access to ART and recruiting treatment-naïve participants into clinical trials. Outcomes of this planning project will include: • Site visit/audit to PUMCH clinics in Beijing, China with gap analysis feedback and/or qualification as CTN affiliate site rendered upon completion. •A signed Memorandum of Understanding between the collaborating parties. •A presentation and educational update to support planning of upcoming clinical research activities, made to the CTN network on clinical activities and HIV epidemiology in China at the April, 2012 CTN meetings in Montreal, QC. •Transfer of knowledge to Chinese partners about the inner workings of the CTN for translation to the Chinese setting. • Collaboration agreement between Dr. Routy's and Dr. Li's research teams for three clinical studies currently in their initial planning stages.