Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
PRNewswire - Tuesday November 10, 1998
The program has two parts -- a clinical trial and a call for scientific projects. The trial will provide free genotyping to individuals exposed to the HIV virus and the tender will request proposals from European virological and infectious diseases centers to evaluate the clinical utility of HIV genotyping. At a special symposium on Saturday, November 7, at the 4th International Congress on Drug Therapy in HIV Infection in Glasgow, Scotland, Charles A.B. Boucher, MD, Ph.D., Department of Virology, University Hospital, Utrecht, Netherlands, announced the program.
The VIGILANCE trial is scheduled to begin in early 1999 and is designed to provide rapid HIV genotyping analysis to healthcare workers occupationally exposed to HIV, to individuals following unsafe sexual exposure, or to patients with acute HIV infections. The trial will offer European physicians who treat HIV infections access to VGI's TruGene(TM) HIV genotyping assay. The results of the test indicate the drug resistance characteristics of the HIV virus and allow physicians to prescribe the appropriate combination of antiretroviral drugs with greater precision.
Physicians participating in the program will have a complete drug resistance report faxed to them within a few days of enrolling individuals in the trial. A network of laboratories located in Paris, Utrecht, London, Milan and Tel Aviv will perform the analyses. The trial will be administered through the Paris VIGILANCE coordinating center. Dr. Charles Boucher and Dr. Jonathan M. Schapiro of Tel Hashomer Medical Center, Israel will coordinate the VIGILANCE trial.
"With the results of the genotyping test, physicians will be armed to tailor post-exposure prophylaxis treatment more quickly and with greater precision," said Dr. Boucher. The data collected, including required patient follow-up sampling and analysis, will be used to evaluate the clinical utility of HIV drug resistance genotyping analysis for individualized antiretroviral treatment.
As a separate component of the VIGILANCE trial, Visible Genetics is also issuing a call for Scientific Projects from European virological and infectious diseases centers. Visible Genetics has committed up to US$2 million in cash, equipment and reagents. Fifteen grants consisting of OpenGene(TM) instrumentation, OpenGene(TM) software, TruGene(TM) assays and up to US$5,000 per project will be awarded in the following areas:
**Untreated HIV patients
**Anti-retroviral treatment failures
**HIV physiopathology
**HIV epidemiology
**Applications must be submitted by July 15, 1999.
Visible Genetics Inc. manufactures and markets high performance automated DNA sequencing systems and complete kits for the analysis of genes linked to disease. The Company's OpenGene(TM) system employs proprietary stratified DNA testing and single-tube, single-step sequencing methods to significantly reduce the time and cost involved in identifying clinically relevant genetic information. VGI is a leader in the emerging field of pharmacogenomics, which will use genetic information in the identification, and analysis of genes in order to improve patient care and reduce healthcare costs.
SOURCE: Visible Genetics Inc.
981110
PR981106
Copyright © 1998 - PRNewswire. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through PRNewswire, Permissions, 810 Seventh Ave., 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10019 http://www.prnewswire.com.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1998. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 1998. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .