PEDIATRIC AIDS CLINICAL TRIALS GROUP

Very recently the problem of pediatric HIV infection and AlDS has
appeared in Houston and the yearly tripling of the disease (30
cases in 1987) demand a city-wide coordinated effort to combat this
deadly disease. Houston's two medical schools, Baylor College of
Medicine (BCM) and the University of Texas (UT) have formed a
collaborative treatment group in conjunction with the children's
hospitals in Houston, Texas Children's Hospital, University
Children's Hospital at Hermann Hospital, Jefferson Davis Hospital,
and Ben Taub Hospital, and the City of Houston Health and Human
Services Department to more effectively deal with the growing
menace to the children. The Departments of Pediatrics at BCM and
UT intend justify to become a NIAID-funded ACTG treatment center
for pediatric AIDS (UT as the subcontractor) (see Fig. 1). This
will be accomplished by use of centralized facilities. These will
include: (1) an administrative core at Texas Children's Hospital
under the direction of William T. Shearer, M.D., Ph.D., the
Principal Investigator, and Carol J. Baker. M.D., Co-Principal
Investigator. (2) a single data collection site for computer
(Director, Thomas Mc. Jones. M.D., Ph.D.) and communication with
NIAID when necessary. (3) common laboratory facilities for
detection of HIV virus and related antigens (Director, Blaine
Hollinger, M.D.), diagnostic virology (Director, Gail J. Demmler.
M.D.), and determination of pharmacokinetics of AZT and acyclovir
(Director, Stuart Feldman, Ph.D.) for all ACTG protocol patient
specimens from BCM and UT, and (4) determination of lymphocyte
subsets in parallel laboratories at BCM (Director, William T.
Shearer, M.D., Ph.D.) and UT (Director, James Reubin. M.D.).
Treatment protocols will be run ia parallel at the two medical
schools and will be supervised by the co-principal investigators,
Carol J. Baker, M.D. (BCM) and Larry Pickering, M.D. (UT) who will
lead a common Joint Executive Committee. Two Clinical Coordinators
will be responsible for direct patient care and adherence to
protocol: Celine Guerra Hanson. M.D. (BCM) and W. Keith Hoots.
M.D. (UT). The key feature of this collaborative study is the
utilization of National Institute of Health (NIH)-funded Clinical
Research Centers (CRC) at BCM (pediatric CRC located at Texas
Children's Hospital) and UT (located at Hermann Hospital).
Numerous clinical departments of BCM and UT and clinical services
of Texas Children's Hospital, Hermann Hospital, and Harris County
Hospital District will support the complete evaluation, treatment,
and follow-up of children studied on Pediatric ACTG protocols.