Travis Petricek (2002-2003)

Warren Dinges (2001-2002)

A lipodystrophy syndrome in HIV-infected patients was first reported in 1997. This syndrome, which consisted of body morphology changes and metabolic abnormalities, has been most strongly associated with the protease inhibitor portion of HAART therapy. Under a grant from NIH,
Dr. Abhimanyu Garg with co-investigators will endeavor to elucidate the mechanisms of LDHIV.

Specifically, work during the Doris Duke Fellowship will be directed towards the initial enrollment of this study and the development of a portion of the laboratory assessment on these patients. Specifically, I will be developing a quantitative real-time RT-PCR mRNA expression assay of 30-50 human genes for fat and muscle biopsies of the patients. This includes sample handling and extraction, gene selection, method design, primer/probe selection, and initial method validation.

Finally, I will also be involved in the enrollment of the initial patients during the first year of the four-year study. This will include screening appointments, inpatient evaluations, and outpatient study visits.