HIV/AIDS

Basic Science

Resources for Researchers

Government Links

• AIDSinfo has information on HIV/AIDS-related health topics, treatment and prevention guidelines, information on drugs and vaccines, and a database of all federally funded HIV/AIDS clinical trials.
• NIH AIDS Research and Reference Reagent Program provides state-of-the-art biological and chemical materials for the study of HIV and related opportunistic pathogens to registered users worldwide at no cost.
• The NIH Tetramer Facility provides custom synthesis and distribution of soluble MHC-peptide tetramer and CD1d tetramer reagents that can be used to stain antigen-specific T cells.
• Human HIV Specimens (e.g., blood, cells, tissues) from U.S.-based and international studies are available for distribution to researchers through two resources: 1) provides state-of-the-art storage and computerized inventory management of specimens from domestic and international NIAID-funded HIV/AIDS studies; and 2) collects, distributes and maintains a repository of tissues from HIV-positive donors for distribution to qualified biomedical research scientists.
• HIV Specimen Repository Guidelines includes procedures for investigators seeking to collaborate with NIAID-funded clinical research programs, particularly with regard to gaining access to materials maintained in specimen repositories or databases.

• HIV Molecular Immunology Database is an annotated, searchable collection of HIV-1 cytotoxic and helper T-cell epitopes and antibody binding sites. These data are also printed in the HIV Molecular Immunology compendium which is updated yearly and provided free of charge to scientific researchers. The goal of this database is to provide a comprehensive listing of defined HIV epitopes.

• HIV Sequence Database, based on HIV and SIV sequences from Genbank, allows users to align and analyze sequences by nucleotide, amino acid, or viral subtype using special tools and interfaces.

• Animal models to evaluate the preclinical efficacy of novel antiviral agents and microbicides are available for investigators through NIAID-supported contracts. The SCID-hu thymus/liver mouse model provides rapid evaluation of in vivo antiviral activity and requires relatively small amounts of candidate compounds, compared with nonhuman primate models. The SIV/SHIV macaque animal models serve as a resource for investigators for the development and evaluation of therapeutic agents/strategies and topical microbicides for HIV/AIDS.

• The HIV/Host Protein Interaction Database provides scientists with a summary of all known interactions of HIV proteins with host cell proteins, other HIV proteins, or proteins from disease organisms associated with HIV/AIDS. The database is cross-linked to other resources available via the National Center for Biotechnology Information through Entrez Gene, providing a means for searching and understanding the interaction data.

Non-Government Links

• AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource (ACSR), funded by the National Cancer Institute, provides HIV-infected human materials from a wide spectrum of HIV-related or associated diseases, including cancer, and from appropriate HIV-negative controls.
• The Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Network of Integrated Clinical Systems (CNICS) is a unique resource for HIV clinical, translational, and basic research and will provide the infrastructure and data to address the challenging and rapidly evolving issues in HIV care and research. This project supports a data system that is a central repository of verified and quality-controlled data from the emergency medical records (EMRs) at six CFAR sites. Additional information on how to utilize this resource is coming soon.

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