The Miami Herald, Inc.; Wednesday, February 26, 1997
Stephen Smith; Herald Health Writer
The University of Miami/Jackson Children's Hospital was among 21 pediatric AIDS treatment and research centers that learned Tuesday that they will share $32 million awarded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. UM won't know until March the exact amount it's getting, although it likely will be hundreds of thousands of dollars.
That's just the first year. Tuesday's announcement guarantees the university four more years of federal cash infusions to pay for research into pediatric AIDS.
"This grant is just so critical to South Florida, because it really offers access to new drugs and new treatments to children and pregnant women who are infected with HIV," said Dr. Gwen Scott, principal investigator for the research project and director of UM's pediatric infectious disease and immunology division. "In many situations, drug treatments for children have lagged behind those for adults."
Researchers at UM have achieved significant success in reducing the number of newborns with AIDS by aggressively treating pregnant women with the drug AZT. Their studies found that by giving expectant mothers the medication, the percentage of babies born with the virus dropped by more thantwo-thirds, from 25 percent to 8 percent.
Results like those persuaded federal researchers that UM and the other centers splitting the grant money "will continue to make significant contributions to improving the lives of all young people infected with HIV," said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the federal infectious diseases institute.
UM will use its grant to determine whether combining drugs from the old guard of treatment -- medications like AZT -- with the newest class, called protease inhibitors, can further squelch mother-to-child transmission of the disease. Their goal: reducing that rate to 2 percent.
Many of the women who will get that drug combination as part of the UM study likely wouldn't have ready access to the drugs, especially the newest regimens, Scott said. UM researchers will also use the grant to study the effect of other drugs just in the testing stage.
They hope that their work will advance the singular crusade of pediatric AIDS doctors across the country: to find a method of getting drugs to children more quickly. Now many drugs still don't come in government-approved formulations for children.
970226
MH970211
Copyright © 1997 - Miami Herald. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Miami Herald, Permissions, One Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132-1693 TEL: (305) 376-3719. http://www.herald.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, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1997. 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, 1997. 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. .