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  • Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

Since the emergence of this novel virus in the early 1980’s, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has become the number 1 viral infection causing disease and death worldwide. It is currently estimated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that about 35 million people are living with HIV and each year over 1 million people die from AIDS-related disease.

The development of a range of effective anti-retroviral drugs has transformed HIV infection from a death sentence to a manageable disease in the western world, with life expectancy close to normal. However these drugs:

  • do not eradicate infection, but need to be taken for life
  • are expensive and so not readily available in resource poor settings such as sub-Saharan Africa and south east Asia, worst hit by the global pandemic
  • can have side-effects that make it difficult for patients to adhere to the prescribed daily dosing
  • result in the virus mutating to side-step the drug; drug resistant variants of HIV are an increasing problem

In this situation, the development of an effective vaccine that prevented people becoming infected with HIV would have a major impact on this disease.  However, developing a vaccine that can persist in the blood for many years is a tremendous challenge that has thwarted scientific endeavour so far.  

Work in this area is covered by:

  • the modelling chronic viral diseases group
  • the Centre for Aids Reagents
Key staff

Sarah Gilbert, CFAR Project Manager
Debbie Ferguson, Principal Scientist
Neil Berry, Principal Scientist

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