Follow-up study of unvaccinated and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Type 16 Vaccine Trial in Costa Rica

Continuation project for follow-up study of unvaccinated and Human papillomavirus (HPV) Type 16 vaccinated individuals will follow up to 9,000 women for up to five years through a one-year base award and four option periods.

Enrollment, including entry exams, for both control and vaccinated groups will be complete, except for a <10% subset of women whose enrollment period is ongoing, prior to award. Prior experience with the group includes a retention rate of greater than 90% which may be expected to continue in the upcoming award period. Approximately 90%of the group are sexually active and will require pelvic exams as part of the follow-up study. At the time of entry, unvaccinated women were provided information on the efficacy and benefits of the vaccine as part of the informed consent and the optimal care for this age group that consists of cervical cancer screening with cervical cytology and HPV testing will be followed.

Linkage of Cancer Outcome data from the Costa Rican Tumor Registry in the Guanacaste Project Cohort Study

The purpose was to obtain linked cancer outcome data to the present time from the Costa Rican Tumor Registry for the 10,054 women in the Guanacaste Project Cohort Study. The women in the cohort study were well characterized in terms of their HPV, cytology, and other related cervical screening data, obtained from 1993-2001.

By associating these factors with subsequent occurrence of cervical cancer, the NCI will be able confirm that women without HPV infection have remained at extremely low risk of cervical cancer over the subsequent multiple years.

Developing a prototype medicine to treat chronic Chagas disease using an extract from the plant HCE-001- 2016

To produce a prototype drug for in vivo and in vitro testing against T. cruzi

International Prevalence Surveys of Helicobacter pylori in High and Low Risk Areas for Stomach CancerEpidemiological iNvestigatIon of Gastric Malignancies – ENIGMA

Aim
To investigate the worldwide epidemiology of H. pylori infection and GC neoplasia using standardized methods

Specific Objectives
1. To estimate the age-specific prevalence of H. pylori infection as predictor of GC trends.
2. To investigate bacterial, host and environmental factors associated with differences between high and low GC risk areas.
3. To measure H. pylori antibiotic resistance to Metronidazole and Clarithromycin in the different geographic regions.
4. To further explore the association between H. pylori infection and child growth.

Subtipos moleculares de cáncer de mama en mujeres de América Latina (PRECAMA)

Estudio piloto para evaluar la factibilidad de realizar un estudio grande de casos y controles de cáncer de mama, en mujeres premenopáusicas, de base poblacional en seis paises de América Latina, incluido nuestro país.

Objetivo general del programa:

Avanzar en la prevención y atención del CM en los países de medianos y bajos ingresos de América Latina a través de una

mejor comprensión de sus patrones moleculares y patológicos, así como de los principales factores de riesgo.

Objetivos específicos:

a. Recolectar de forma estructurada información individual, clínica, patológica y de muestras biológicas de acuerdo a

protocolos estrictamente controlados.

b. Caracterizar, en estas poblaciones, los subtipos de CM en mujeres jóvenes con base en sus fenotipos moleculares y

patológicos.

c. Mejorar la identificación de factores endógenos específicos (genética y genómica) y factores endógenos

(modificaciones biológicas, factores conductuales, dietarios y culturales) y analizar las interacciones de estos factores con

respecto a los subtipos de tumores de mama y otras características.

d. Proveer capacitación avanzada, inducir un efecto estructurador en la investigación del CM en América Latina e

influenciar la agenda de la salud pública con respecto a la atención del CM.

Investigación pre-clínica de terapia de MicroARN y sus aplicaciones biomédicas en Costa Rica

El tema de las terapias con MicroARN es de interés mundial, porque permitirá a futuro el desarrollo de tratamientos contra el cancer y otras enfermedades. El proyecto promueve el desarrollo de conociento y formación de capital humano para desarrollar aplicaciones especificas para la industria biomedica mundial.