HOMER
The HAART Observational Medical Evaluation and Research (HOMER) study is a retrospective cohort of HIV-positive individuals receiving HAART in British Columbia. Started on August 1, 1996, the cohort follows HIV-infected individuals in the Drug Treatment Program who initiated HAART with three or more antiretroviral agents. This cohort has formed the basis of studies published in AIDS, JAIDS, JAMA, and The Lancet, among others.
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Since 1996, antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been available free of charge to individuals living with HIV in British Columbia (BC), Canada through the BC Centre of Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) Drug Treatment Program (DTP). The Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) Observational Medical Evaluation and Research (HOMER) cohort was established in 1996 to maintain a prospective record of clinical measurements and medication profiles of a subset of DTP participants initiating HAART in BC. Currently over 5000 individuals are enrolled in the HOMER cohort. This unique cohort provides a comprehensive data source to investigate mortality, prognostic factors and treatment responses among people living with HIV in BC from the inception of HAART.
The aims of the HOMER cohort are to:
- Evaluate clinical and virologic outcomes, resistance patterns and prognostic factors associated with HAART among people living with HIV in BC.
- Conduct surveillance of the population-level health effects of HAART.
- Inform treatment priorities and therapeutic guidelines for HIV/AIDS management.
- Collaborate with other HIV observational cohorts to pursue complex HIV-related research that requires large sample sizes.
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HOMER collaborates with other HIV cohorts on both a national and international scale to answer more complex HIV-specific research questions. A subset of data from the HOMER cohort has been merged with cohort databases from across Canada to form the Canadian Observational Cohort (CANOC), facilitating collaborative pan-provincial research. Current international collaborations include the Antiretroviral Therapy Cohort Collaboration (ART-CC) (http://www.bristol.ac.uk/art-cc/) and the North American AIDS Cohort Collaboration on Research and Design (NA-ACCORD) (http://statepiaps.jhsph.edu/naaccord/).
The HOMER cohort welcomes input from external investigators regarding potential research proposals or future collaborations. For further information please contact the principal investigator, Dr Robert Hogg (bobhogg@bccfe.ca)