Alcohol abuse and infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are major health problems in the United States. Since alcohol abuse and HIV infection frequently coexist in the same individual, it is critical that possible interactions between these two interlinked epidemics be evaluated. Furthermore, since both alcohol abuse and HIV infection cause a wide spectrum of disease from pneumonia to dementia, it is important to address these issues with a multi-disciplinary approach. This Alcohol Research Center (ARC) has evolved to perform such a role. The ARC is a multidisciplinary team of scientists from the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC), the Tulane National Primate Research Center (TNPRC), and Xavier University whose broad focus is the effect of alcohol on HIV infection and disease progression. While a major component of the Center’s activities is alcohol-based biomedical research, we have also initiated community-based intervention programs. Our goal is to stimulate and encourage the development of multiple perspectives and approaches to the health consequences of HIV infection in alcohol-using and –abusing populations. To meet this goal the focus of the ARC is:

1. to enhance the research capability and productivity of the scientists in the ARC who are engaged in investigating the health-related effects of alcohol and HIV infection;
2. to promote interdisciplinary interactions among ARC scientists;
3. to attract and nurture new investigators in the field of alcohol research;
4. to provide a wide range of stimulating training opportunities in alcohol-based biomedical research;
5. to develop and maintain core facilities that will facilitate the operations and functions of the ARC and its investigators; and
6. to initiate and develop translational research.

Since our “birth” in 1993, the ARC at LSUHSC has employed a team approach and cutting edge research in order to develop a comprehensive understanding of how alcohol and HIV infection either alone or in combination cause disease. The continued success of the ARC is greatly enhanced by our ability to attract and recruit distinguished scientists into our research program. These include existing funded programs and scientists at the Tulane National Primate Research Center (TNRPC), the Ochsner Clinic Foundation, Xavier University, and distinguished scientists outside of the region. This collaborative partnership is built on a strong foundation of established research scientists whose purpose is to advance the alcohol research field. Our long-term goal is to translate our research findings into health care practice.

We strongly believe that a “Center” approach to the health issues of alcohol use and HIV infection uniquely provides an organizational structure that promotes synergy among its component elements. Specifically, the Center facilitates the performance of complex and interrelated scientific research projects. Our model of chronic alcohol intoxication in the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infected rhesus macaque represents a clear example of how a Center can be instrumental in developing a new resource and in attracting outstanding scientists from many disciplines to begin alcohol based research projects utilizing that resource. Furthermore, the Center mechanism ensures that this resource is shared among scientists from a full range of disciplines and that its potential is maximized. The Pilot Project component of the ARC provides a flexible mechanism for attracting new investigators into alcohol research. Over the years, several of our Pilot Project investigators have successfully competed for extramural funding. The ARC also functions as a catalyst to initiate new alcohol-based research programs. We have attracted several new investigators who will allow us to develop new research directions including the epidemiology of HIV and alcohol abuse and maternal-fetal HIV transmission. The ARC affords exceptional research training opportunities for individuals from various disciplines. Finally, the ARC provides an organizational cohesiveness or structure that facilitates interactions with other, large organizational units such as universities and community leaders. All of these factors have contributed to our goal of becoming a national research resource.