P 149 Poor adherence to antiretroviral drugs is commonly associated with treatment failure. While the best clinical results have tended to come from studies where patients have received three or four drugs, patients find the more complex regimens more difficult with which to adhere. Protease inhibitors, for example, have to be administered twice or three times daily often in combination with reverse transcriptase inhibitors at similar frequencies. It has been recognized that agents that boost the immune system against HIV could help broaden the anti-HIV attack. Enhancement of key elements of the immune response, such as macrophages, to maintain a host's control of HIV replication is likely to delay disease progression.
Activated macrophages are able to combat viral replication and withstand attack by other pathogens.
Recent clinical studies have shown WF10 is capable of enhancing macrophage biochemical activity. Phenotypic testing provides information that would allow selection of antiretrovirals that still have an effect on the virus. The regimen will be tailored according to each patient's history of antiretroviral exposure. Each year the CTN awards three Associateships to outstanding young researchers working in Canadian HIV clinical research centres. This is a formal, work-learning experience that helps young scientists prepare as principal investigators of HIV clinical trials, under the guidance of leading researchers at Canada's major HIV research sites.