Research provides hope for children with HIV
A photo collage featuring the smiling faces of some of
his patients hangs on the wall in the office of Ram Yogev, MD. The children vary in age, gender and ethnicity.
Yet, they have one thing in common: all have died from AIDS
.
If
Yogev had his way, research efforts on new therapies underway at Children's
Memorial would ensure that no new photos would ever be added to this
collection.
“Research makes a tremendous difference in what we can
do for children living with HIV,” says Yogev, who is the director of Children's
Memorial Research Center's experimental
therapeutics programand Center for HIV/AIDS
Research. “With clinical trials, we can give kids new medications long before
they enter the market, which can make
a real difference in their long-term
outcomes.”
Not all pediatric medical institutions offer the
advantages of Children's Memorial's 20-year history of participating in clinical
trials for children affected by HIV. At any given time 10 to 20 studies of new
medications and therapies are
available to children in the program. Almost 75 percent are enrolled in
government-sponsored trials, and Children's Memorial also participates in a
number of pharmaceutical company-sponsored research studies.
Researchers like Yogev and Ellen G. Chadwick are on the cutting edge of discovering new
treatments. One new study is following HIV-positive girls who have been
immunized against HPV (human papillomavirus), a virus that can cause cervical cancer. If these girls contract HPV they may also be at risk
for complications due to their weakened immune systems. In another study led by
Yogev, early findings indicate that some children who are vaccinated with their
own HIV virus may be able to go as long as six weeks between doses of
medication.
While fewer babies are being born with HIV because of
advances in perinatal care, the incidence of adolescents contracting the virus
is on the rise. A recently announced public-private partnership opportunity to
benefit at-risk teens demonstrates Children's Memorial's continuing commitment
to finding new ways to address this serious public health challenge, whether
through research, clinical care or advocacy
.
Children's Memorial Hospital seeks philanthropic funding to enhance its
programs and services. As a proud partner of the Children's Miracle Network
(CMN), all funds raised in the Chicago area through CMN also benefit Children's
Memorial. To find out how your support can help the hospital better serve
children and families, please contact the Children's Memorial Foundation at
773.880.4237 or Foundation@childrensmemorial.org.