Last Update: 08/28/2007 Printer Friendly Printer Friendly   Email This Page Email This Page  

Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS)

The Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS) network, supported by the NICHD Pediatric, Adolescent, and Maternal AIDS (PAMA) Branch, was established in 2005 to address two critical pediatric HIV research questions:

  • What is the long-term safety of fetal and infant exposure to prophylactic antiretroviral chemotherapy?
  • What are the effects of perinatally acquired HIV infection in adolescents.

The goals of this network are to:

  • Create a body of data to promote better understanding of effect of HIV on sexual maturation, pubertal development, and socialization of perinatally HIV-infected pre-adolescents and adolescents;
  • Acquire more definitive information regarding long-term safety of antiretroviral agents when used during pregnancy and in newborns;
  • Ensure that a mechanism is in place to estimate the upper bounds of risk to children associated with the use of antiretrovirals by their HIV-infected pregnant mothers as recommended in the Public Health Service Guidelines to prevent perinatal HIV transmission; and
  • Ensure that the follow-up of these populations continues.

The PHACS network currently consists of two protocols: the Adolescent Master Protocol (AMP); and the Surveillance Monitoring for ART Toxicities (SMARTT) Study. Both these protocols are structured to accommodate focused sub-studies in future years.

PHACS cofunding support is provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Heart, Lung, & Blood Institute, the National Institute of Deafness and Communication Disorders, and the NIH Office of AIDS Research.

For more information about PHACS, visit https://phacs.nichdclinicalstudies.org/default.asp.