Activities

The Canadian Immunology Quality Assessment Program (CIQAP)

Since 1989, the National Laboratory for HIV Immunology (NLHI) has been providing a national Quality Assessment Program for T-cell enumeration. The delivery of this program to the members of the Canadian HIV Trials Network (CTN) is part of the ongoing commitment to ensure individuals in Canada living with HIV/AIDS receive premium care.

International Collaborations

NLHI maintains a number of international collaborations in order to ensure that their technological expertise in the field of analytical cytology remains current and cutting-edge, and to promote the exchange of information within the global HIV/AIDS community. Past and present associations have included organizations such as CIDA, NIH, CDC, ISAC, UNAIDS, WHO and PAHO involving projects in USA, West Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia, South America, UK, the Caribbean and Japan.

Current Projects

As part of our mandate, NLHI is continually developing and validating new technologies, protocols, and instrumentation that show potential in enabling clinicians to monitor disease progression in HIV/AIDS patients in a more efficient and/or cost-effective manner.

Training

Training is a vital component of the information dissemination that is part of the National Laboratory's mandate. Training programs are conducted on an individual or group basis and are provided to participants of our Quality Assessment Program. Workshops are organized every second year as part of the biannual Biotechnology Transfer Meeting and specialized workshops have also been developed for the purposes of technology transfer, both to Canadian clients and international collaborators.

Publications

NLHI further disseminates information through publication in peer reviewed journals, and through presentations and posters at several national and international conferences each year.