About the Amsterdam Cohort Studies
The Amsterdam Cohort Studies (ACS) on HIV infection and AIDS started shortly after the first cases of AIDS were diagnosed in the Netherlands. Since October 1984, men who have sex with men (MSM) have been enrolled in a prospective cohort study. A second cohort involving people who use/used (injecting) drugs (PWUD/PWID) was initiated in 1985 and discontinued in 2016.
From the outset, research in the ACS has taken a multidisciplinary approach, integrating epidemiology, social science, virology, immunology, and clinical medicine in one study team. This unique collaboration has been highly productive, significantly contributing to the knowledge and understanding of many different aspects of HIV-1 infection, as well as other infections including STI (e.g., chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, viral hepatitis B and C [HBV and HCV] and human papillomavirus [HPV]) and (re-)emerging infectious diseases (COVID-19, mpox). This expertise, in turn, has contributed directly to advances in prevention, diagnosis, and management of these infections.
ACS among people who use or inject drugs (PWUD/PWID)
Between 1984-2016, a total of 1,661 PWUD had been included in the ACS of whom 1,303 had at least two cohort visits (maximum 78 visits). Study enrolment and data collection continued until 2014 and February 2016, respectively. Data and samples from these participants of this cohort are still being used for research.
ACS among men who have sex with men (MSM)
As of 31 December 2020, 2,901 MSM were included in the ACS. Every three to six months, participants complete a standardised questionnaire designed to obtain data regarding medical history, sexual behaviour and drug use, psychosocial determinants, health care use, signs of depression and other psychological disorders, and demographics. Moreover, blood is collected for diagnostic tests and storage at the ACS biobank.
Collaborating institutes and financing
Within the ACS, the following different institutes collaborate to bring together data and biological sample collections and to conduct research.
These include:
In previous years, Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation, Medical Center Jan van Goyen, and the HIV Focus Center of the DC-Clinics also contributed to sample and data collection, still being used in current research projects.
In addition, there are numerous collaborations between the ACS and other research groups, both within and outside the Netherlands.
The ACS is financially supported by the Centre for Infectious Disease Control Netherlands of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (Centrum voor Infectieziektenbestrijding - Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu, RIVM-CIb).
ACS Project team
The ACS team consists of scientists with different background, PhD students, study nurses, medical doctors and data managers. Data collection takes place at the GGD Amsterdam and additional lab tests are performed at the UMC Amsterdam, location Meibergdreef. The study is directed by the steering committee. The advisory board advices on the scientific direction of the study.
