What research programs can reduce HIV incidence rates in at-risk youth?

Challenge

HIV prevention and treatment can be uniquely challenging in resource-limited settings, including Brazil and countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Further analyses are critical to determining how best to approach young adult and adolescent populations in these areas.

The Prevention and Treatment through a Comprehensive Care Continuum for HIV-Affected Adolescents in Resource Constrained Settings (PATC³H) addresses this challenge. Made up of 8 research teams, the primary goal of this initiative is to generate the needed scientific innovation that will yield effective public health interventions for 10- to 24-year-old adolescents and young adults. The program will research needs or interventions that may help reduce the HIV incidence rates among adolescents, while maximizing the impact of research in adolescent prevention and care for at-risk youth with HIV within these countries.

PATC³H is sponsored by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, and the Office of AIDS Research.

Solution

As the coordinating center for the PATC³H program, Westat is conducting a broad range of support activities that include logistical meeting coordination for various committees and working groups, site monitoring, regulatory responsibilities, data and resource sharing, manuscript/analysis support, publication tracking, and overall project management.

To increase regulatory submission and site monitoring efficiency, Westat developed the PATC³H website functionality whereby the research teams can upload study-specific essential documents for Westat review and approval. An automatic expiration tracking system allows the research team to monitor their own impending expiries.

These support activities help research teams find comprehensive, harmonized solutions to reduce HIV incidence in adolescents.

Results

All research teams successfully met their milestones from the pilot phase and are able to implement their piloted strategies for HIV treatment and prevention in the randomized controlled trial phase. These studies are designed to prevent new infections, as well as to link and retain youth living with HIV in care in order to support long-term viral suppression.

PATC³H will publish data expected to inform policies and public health interventions for at-risk adolescents and young adults ages 10-24 affected by HIV living in resource-limited settings.