Protocol Number: 02-I-0013
HIV-infected people age 18 or older who are receiving HAART and have a viral load of less than 50 copies/ml and a CD4+ T cell count of at least 175 cells/mm3 may be eligible for this study. Candidates will be screened with a medical history and physical examination, blood and urine tests, and possibly a chest X-ray and electrocardiogram. Women of childbearing potential will have a pregnancy test. Participants will be randomly assigned to either continue their current medication regimen or to take HAART in intermittent cycles of 7 days off, 7 days on. Patients will continue treatment for 72 weeks or until viral levels increase or CD4+ T cell counts decline to a level of concern. Upon entering the study, patients will have blood tests to monitor the amount of virus in the blood, CD4+ T cell count, viral resistance to HAART medications, side effects of the drug, and immune response to HIV in the test tube. They will have clinic visits for a history, physical examination and blood draws every month for 12 months. At that time, depending on T cell counts and viral load, the number of visits may be reduced, but never less frequently than every other month. Patients will also undergo leukapheresis-a procedure for collecting quantities of white blood cells-every 3 to 4 months while on the study. For this procedure, whole blood is collected through a needle in an arm vein (similar to donating blood). The blood is circulated through a cell separator where the white cells are removed, and the rest of the blood (plasma, red cells and platelets) is returned through the same needle or through a second one in the other arm. The collected white cells are used for special studies on the level and function of T cells and to detect hidden virus.
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