The Future of Women-Specific HIV Research

" . . . If you live in the San Francisco area and want to contribute to the research effort, please refer to The DYNAMIC Study, which is looking specifically at gender effects, is also enrolling both men and women. Researchers are investigating the potential influence of reproductive hormones (e.g., hormonal levels that vary during the menstrual cycle) on HAART pharmacokinetics. The study is open to women and men of varying CD4 cell levels but with a viral load greater than 10,000 copies/mL. Participants must be protease inhibitor-naive. Women must be between 18 and 45 years of age and having regular menstrual cycles. For more information, call Sarah Ellison in San Francisco at 415.502.8056.

"Other trials addressing newer research questions are ongoing or in the design and development phases. These include studies of the pathogenicity (disease-causing potential) and transmissibility of HIV and different HIV subtypes, and their interaction with specific sites in the body. Other studies are gauging the impact of widespread use of HAART on the way HIV develops in women compared to men, notably in evaluations of body fat and metabolic changes.

"There also are a wide spectrum of prevention modalities relevant to women that are being studied or planned for study, such as microbicides (anti-HIV and other STDs, and strategies to prevent mother-to-chid HIV transmission . . . "