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QUESTIONS
Q.1 What is CASCADE?Q.2 Why do we need CASCADE when there are other large cohort studies and collaborations in HIV research?
Q.3 How is CASCADE funded and how long for?
Q.4 Who is in CASCADE and can anyone join?
Q.5 Is there a process for collaborating with CASCADE?
Q.6 What data are included in CASCADE?
Q.7 Can anyone access the dataset?
ANSWERS
Q.1 What is CASCADE?CASCADE was established in 1997 as a collaboration between the investigators of cohorts of persons with well-estimated dates of HIV seroconversion (seroconverters). It is currently a network of epidemiologists, statisticians, virologists, and clinicians from lead HIV institutions in 15 European countries, Australia and Canada representing 25 cohorts.
Seroconverters are enrolled into the individual cohorts locally and nationally and are typically followed up life-long. CASCADE’s main aim is to monitor newly infected individuals and those already enrolled in studies, covering the entire duration of HIV infection. The main premise is that through pooling data we are able to address issues that cannot be reliably addressed from single studies alone.
Q.2 Why do we need CASCADE when there are other large cohort studies and collaborations in HIV research?
The unique feature of CASCADE is that all patients included have a well-estimated date of seroconversion (seroconverters). Follow-up data from seroconverters are valuable in being able to relate events to the same time since an individual first became infected with HIV.
Seroconverters thus provide a unique opportunity to study HIV throughout its whole infection period and also enable us to examine the characteristics of recently acquired HIV infection in the population, and changes over time.
Q.3 How is CASCADE funded and how long for?
CASCADE has been funded by the European Commission since 1997. It is currently funded through the EC’s Framework Programme 6. This funding began in March 2006 and lasts until June 2010.
Q.4 Who is in CASCADE and can anyone join?
CASCADE is a collaboration of 25 established seroconverter cohorts and 5 cohorts in the process of set-up. These are all cohorts of individuals with documented evidence of seroconversion.
Collaboration with other seroconverter cohorts may be possible; this would be decided by the Steering Committee and after discussion with Consortium members. Such collaboration could not be funded from existing CASCADE resources however.
Q.5 Is there a process for collaborating with CASCADE?
Collaboration with CASCADE is decided on a case-by-case basis by the Steering Committee and partners on its scientific merit. Informal inquiries may be made initially by email or telephone.
Q.6 What data are included in CASCADE?
As well as estimated date of seroconversion, typically through the availability of antibody negative and positive test dates, CASCADE pools data on demographic characteristics (e.g. age, sex, HIV risk group), HCV status, AIDS events and death. All available CD4 counts, viral load measurements, and antiretroviral therapy details are also included. The data items to be pooled by CASCADE are reviewed annually.
Q.7 Can anyone access the dataset?
The dataset is available to partner organisations who have submitted an analysis proposal which has been approved by the members.
