| title: | HIV infection in Estonia: molecular and clinical implications of host and virus interactions. |
|---|---|
| reg no: | SF0182726s06 |
| project type: | targeted financing |
| subject: |
3.1. Basic Medicine 3.3. Clinical Medicine |
| status: | accepted |
| institution: | University of Tartu |
| head of project: | Irja Lutsar |
| duration: | 01.01.2006 - 31.12.2011 |
| description: | The purpose of present study is to assess the importance of viral genotype in transmission of HIV infection, response to antiretroviral therapy and in progression of the disease. The influence of host immune response mechanisms such as chemokine receptors and HLA system to progression of the disease will also be evaluated. The importance of viral divergence will be studied in the model of mother to child transmission. A scientific cohort containing prospectively collected demographic data and clinical and laboratory parameters of Estonian HIV positive subjects will be established. In addition blood sera and peripheral blood monocytes of the cohort subjects will be stored in the tissue banc. Viral genotype and divergence will be studied using sequencing technique. The genetic polymorphism of HIV-related chemokine receptors and HLA antigens will be studied and compared in HIV-positive and HIV-negative subjects. The clinical and laboratory parameters will be correlated with the markers of host immune response and viral genotype. The results of present study will add new knowledge in understanding the role of viral genotypic diversity in the pathogenesis of HIV infection and specifically in progression of the disease. This enables to introduce new prophylactic measures and find new treatment options to tackle with the HIV infection. |
| project group | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no | name | institution | position | |
| 1. | Helena Andreson | Tartu University, Faculty of Medicine | PhD student, Research Fellow | |
| 2. | Tatjana Brilene | Tartu University, Faculty of Medicine | Senior Assistent | |
| 3. | Tõnis Karki | Tartu University, Faculty of Medicine | Docent | |
| 4. | Tõnu Krispin | Tartu University, Faculty of Medicine | Specialist | |
| 5. | Katrin Lang | Tartu University, Faculty of Medicine | lecturer | |
| 6. | Irja Lutsar | Tartu University, Faculty of Medicine | Professor, Head of Department | |
| 7. | Matti Maimets | Tartu University, Faculty of Medicine | docent, head of the department of Infectious Diseases | |
| 8. | Valentina Ustina | Tartu University, Faculty of Medicine | Head of the Laboratory | |