NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has granted just over $4 million to a Vanderbilt University-led study to identify genetic variations that may predict how individuals will respond to HIV therapies.
Researchers will use the five-year grant to identify genetic markers that can predict both efficacy and toxicity of frequently prescribed HIV medications, David Haas, director of the Vanderbilt AIDS Clinical Trials Program and principal investigator on the project, explained in a statement.
Under the program, called “Pharmacogenomics of HIV Therapy,” Vanderbilt Medical Center will receive $2.4 million; Harvard University’s School of Public Health will receive $368,000; Massachusetts General Hospital will get nearly $1.1 million; $186,000 will go to researchers at Cornell University/Weill Cornell Medical College; and the University of Western Ontario will receive $23,000.
The project will use DNA samples and data from HIV-infected patients from clinical trials in Haiti and in South Africa and will focus on genes that are involved in drug metabolism and transport.
Another goal of the project is to assess the cost effectiveness of genetic tests in helping doctors select the most useful HIV drugs with the fewest side effects.