Clinical Virology Programs

Our study to determine risk factors for the severity of mono is underway in the Super Block. So far this month, 148 students have volunteered for screening. Those who have never been infected by the mono virus (EBV) are eligible to continue on the study for up to 4 years.

Our research team will be conducting screening sessions in Pioneer (Library Lower Level) from 5 PM to 7:30 PM on September 19th and 25th and in Territorial Hall (Rooms 200 and 202) from 5 PM to 7:30 PM on September 26th (Last chance!).

All freshmen in the Super Block are welcome to join the study and help us kiss mono “goodbye.”

Mono Study Screening Dates and Times

• 9/19/2007 – Pioneer Hall (Lower Library Level) 5-7:30pm
• 9/25/2007 – Pioneer Hall (Lower Library Level) 5-7:30pm
• 9/26/2007 – Territorial Hall (Rooms 200 & 202) 5-7:30pm

As last year’s Mono 5 Study participants return to the University of Minnesota for fall semester, the Clinical Virology Research Program will intensify our efforts for the 2007-2008 academic year. We’ll continue to follow those who accepted our invitation to join the study last year until 2010.

Also, beginning on September 11, we’ll begin screening freshmen from the class of 2011 for participation in the study. Our staff will be on hand in the residence halls with information about the study. If you choose to go through the screening process–a simple blood draw that takes less than five minutes–we’ll test to see if you’ve ever been exposed to the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the virus that causes mono.

We’re also developing new mono studies and we’re in the process of negotiating a study of a new drug that seems to have an effect on EBV. Please check our website periodically for more information.

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (May 4, 2007) — University of Minnesota Medical School professor Henry Balfour, M.D., has been named the recipient of the Clinical Virology Award for 2007. This award acknowledges an individual whose contributions to clinical virology have had a major impact on the epidemiology, treatment, or understanding of viral diseases.

Established in 1977, the Pan American Group for Rapid Viral Diagnosis, renamed Pan American Society for Clinical Virology in 1995, now boasts more than 400 members. The society aims to aid the development of techniques for viral diagnosis, to coordinate conferences to disseminate information, and to encourage collaborative research. The Clinical Virology Award has been given annually since 1993.

Balfour graduated from medical school at Columbia University in 1966; he completed his internship and residency at the University of Minnesota and Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in 1968. He served as a pediatrician at the Wright-Patterson Air Base in Dayton, Ohio. Since completing a post-doctoral fellowship in infectious disease in 1972 at the University of Minnesota, he has been on the faculty.

Balfour is professor of laboratory medicine and pathology, and pediatrics. He currently serves as medical director at the University of Minnesota, Fairview Clinical Virology Laboratory, which he established in 1972. He is widely recognized as a leader in the field of viral infections, especially those related to herpesvirus infections and HIV.

He received the award during the 23rd Annual Clinical Virology Symposium in Clearwater Beach, Florida on April 30, 2007.

On Monday, January 29, The Minnesota Daily ran an article about the closing of the ACTU.

The University’s AIDS Clinical Trials Unit opened Jan. 1, 1987, becoming one of the first federally funded research sites in the country, said principal investigator Dr. Hank Balfour.

Twenty years later, the clinic’s future remains uncertain, and it very likely may be forced to close due to lack of support.

Read more.

Dr. Balfour appeared on MPR’s All Things Considered yesterday to talk about the closing of the ACTU here at the University of Minnesota. The full audio is available on the MPR website. (Real Player required.)

Since 1987 the Minnesota AIDS Clinical Trials Unit has enrolled more than 2,000 volunteers from the upper midwest in cutting-edge studies to advance the treatment of HIV/AIDS and its complications. Due to funding priorities, we were not awarded an NIH grant to continue this vital work. Fortunately we have some funds available from the International Center for Antiviral Research and Epidemiology (I CARE) to continue our clinical research. However, these funds are not sufficient to accomodate all of the patients who want to volunteer for our studies and soon will be exhausted. We’re appealing to caring and concerned individuals and organizations to help us out by considering matching contributions to our I CARE program.

If you’d like to become a partner in I CARE or have questions about the program please contact Dr. Henry Balfour or donate via the Minnesota Medical Foundation.

The Minnesota ACTU is closing after 20 years of research, having enrolled more than 2,000 volunteers in cutting-edge studies to advance the treatment of HIV/AIDS and its complications. We were not awarded a grant for the next cycle.  We cannot screen or enroll new volunteers.  Those patients currently on studies will be allowed to complete them.  Funds to finish the present protocols will be negotiated with the DAIDS in December.  A heartfelt thanks to all of the loyal volunteers and our dedicated medical staff who ceaselessly gave their time, talent, and compassion to stem the tide of this relentless infectious disease.

Hank Balfour, MD Minnesota ACTU Principal Investigator