UW clinics search for a cure

To the rest of the population, today is World AIDS Day, but for UW researchers and clinicians, every day is dedicated to finding a cure and caring for those affected by the life-threatening disease.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 40 million people are living with AIDS. The King County Health Department estimates there are between 7,200 and 8,400 people infected with HIV or AIDS living in King County.

The UW is involved with every aspect of the disease. UW clinics provide testing for early diagnosis and treatment of those infected. Researchers are conducting clinical trials not only for improved drug treatment, but also for the big V: the vaccine.

On this day, there is some hope to report. There are two very promising candidates for an HIV vaccine being evaluated at the moment, said medicine professor Judith Wasserheit, director of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network. One has already gone into an advanced testing phase known as efficacy trials.

"That's a very big deal," Wasserheit said.

Together, the UW and Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center comprises the largest clinical trials platform in the world for testing HIV-preventative vaccines, Wasserheit said.

Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the network runs 27 trial sites on four continents conducting human trials to test the effectiveness of vaccines on diverse populations. Wasserheit said about 3,000 volunteers have received vaccines so far.

"These vaccines may or may not reduce the chance of infection, but if you do become infected, it is likely that these vaccines will allow you to control the infection so that you can stay healthy longer," she said.

Thomas Hooton, the medical director at Harborview's Madison HIV/AIDS Clinic, said a new drug was approved by the FDA just a few months ago to treat complications of both HIV and AIDS, and many more are to come.

The Madison Clinic is the largest of three UW-affiliated HIV/AIDS clinics. About 1,800 people infected with HIV or AIDS receive treatment there.

"We provide comprehensive HIV/AIDS care for any and all patients, regardless of their ability to pay," Hooton said. "We're nearing 10 years in what we call Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART). Patients who used to have to take a cocktail of 10 to 20 pills are now down to two or three. There's been great simplification of the regimen."

Nevertheless, the race for a cure can be long and tiring. Researchers need to fight complacency, improve access to therapies and base therapies on the most rigorous scientific data, said Ann Collier, director of UW's AIDS Clinical Trials Unit.

"Treatment for HIV infection has improved dramatically during the past

decade, although there are still important issues about treatment that need to be addressed in both the U.S. and throughout the world," Collier said.

"World AIDS Day is a time to reflect upon the impact of HIV and AIDS on

individuals, our community, our nation and the world," she added. "For those who do treatment research about HIV, it is a time to re-dedicate ourselves to working to increase our knowledge about HIV and its complications."

The Lifelong AIDS Alliance will be observing World AIDS day with a discussion titled "If Silence Equals Death, Then Why Is No One Talking?" led by The Stranger columnist Dan Savage.

The event will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Central Lutheran Church at 1710 East 11th Ave. and will be followed by a candlelight vigil in Cal Anderson Park.