The Oral HIV/AIDS Research Alliance Program: lessons learned and future directions

The Oral HIV / AIDS Research Alliance ( OHARA ) was established in 2006 to provide the capacity to investigate the oral complications associated with HIV / AIDS within the ACTG infrastructure. Its goals were to explore the effects of potent antiretroviral therapy ( ART ) on the development of opportunistic infections, and variation and resistance of opportunistic pathogens in the context of immune suppression and long‐term ART . The objectives of this talk, presented as part of a plenary session at the 7th World Workshop on Oral Health and Disease in AIDS , were to (i) provide an overview of OHARA 's most recent research agenda, and how it evolved since OHARA 's inception; (ii) describe OHARA 's main accomplishments, including examples of research protocols completed and their key findings; and (iii) describe spin‐off projects derived from OHARA , lessons learned, and future directions. OHARA has met its central goal and made key contributions to the field in several ways: (i) by developing/updating diagnostic criteria for oral disease endpoints commonly measured in OHARA protocols and in HIV / AIDS research in general and has creating standardized training modules, both for measuring these oral disease endpoints across clinical specialties, and for collecting oral fluid specimens; (ii) by implementing a total of nine protocols, six of which are completed. Three protocols involved domestic research sites, while three involved international research sites (in Africa, India, and South America); (iii) and by developing and validating a number of laboratory assays used in its protocols and in the field of oral HIV / AIDS research.