Kim Lufkin

Yesterday, the International AIDS Society (IAS) and the University of California-San Francisco released the Washington, DC Declaration ahead of this month’s XIX International AIDS Conference. The declaration aims to build support for efforts to end the HIV and AIDS pandemic, and lists nine priorities that are needed to achieve this goal. Accelerated research for new HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment tools is included among the priorities listed in the declaration as necessary to finally end the pandemic. Recent years have seen game-changing research results for new treatment and prevention products—from microbicides to vaccines to using treatment as prevention—that are leading many to believe that research is contributing to a watershed moment in HIV and AIDS. "We want to make sure we don't overpromise," Anthony Fauci—head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases—said in a recent Associated Press article. But, he added, "I think we are at a turning point." It seems that the conference organizers couldn’t agree more about the role of science and research in this metamorphosis in the pandemic. “In a scenario unthinkable just a few years ago, we now have the knowledge to begin to end AIDS in our lifetimes,” said Elly Katabira, president of IAS and international chair of AIDS 2012, when releasing the declaration. And as we recently noted, research is shaping up to be a central theme of the conference overall. Accelerated research for new HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment tools is included among the priorities listed in the Washington, DC Declaration as necessary to finally end the pandemic. Photo credit: PATH/Evelyn Hockstein At the same time that science is leading to hope that the end of HIV and AIDS is within reach, countries around the world are dealing with budget constraints and the effect of a global economic crisis. “Yet, at this moment of extraordinary scientific progress and potential, the global response to AIDS faces crippling financial challenges that threaten past success and future progress,” Katabira said. “Through this declaration, we stand together to call on world leaders across all sectors to provide increased resources, visionary leadership, and a full-fledged commitment to seize the opportunity before us.” It’s heartening that this year’s International AIDS Conference will be held in the United States for the first time in more than 20 years. When the conference last took place in the United States (in San Francisco in 1990), an HIV diagnosis was still equitable with a death sentence. But research soon led to life-saving antiretroviral drugs that, for many, have made HIV and AIDS a chronic and manageable condition. It’s almost overwhelming to think about what the next generation of HIV tools will bring. As Congress and other US policymakers continue the federal appropriations process and the country heads into a presidential election, we hope that US leaders listen to the 25,000 researchers, advocates, people living with HIV, and others attending the conference and calling for much-needed new ways to prevent and treat the disease.

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week. Results from a study published in the Lancet and presented at the XIX International AIDS Conference indicate that a novel tuberculosis combination drug may be on the horizon. The World Health Organization has endorsed the use of the antiretroviral drug Truvada for HIV prevention among HIV-negative people considered at a high risk. The US Food and Drug Administration has granted fast-track designation for Idenix Pharmaceuticals' drug candidate to treat hepatitis C. Drug maker Sanofi said its experimental vaccine against dengue fever proved safe and effective in a study in 4,000 children in Thailand, raising prospects for the first-ever vaccine against the disease after decades of research. The results of scientific research that addresses global health diseases and other issues will become freely available as part of the UK government's plans to open up access to publicly funded studies.

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week. A recent article in VOA News reveals that a research team at Monash University has discovered a viral protein that may be used to develop an alternative to antibiotics. In a recent study in Nature Genetics, researchers say they have unraveled the genetic codes of four parasite strains responsible for the bulk of malaria cases outside Africa. The findings could have implications for malaria vaccine research and development. The military’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has announced a new program to speed the development of a tool that integrates 10 human “organs-on-a-chip” to study complex human physiology outside the body. The international development network site Devex provides a sneak peek at the plans for the International AIDS Conference scheduled for 2014 in Melbourne, Australia. Researchers and policymakers recently gathered in London to champion affordable, innovative solutions to the world’s biggest health issues, such as maternal health.The meeting stemmed from a new partnership between the Qatar Foundation and Imperial College London.

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of a new diagnostic test developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for earlier detection of dengue fever in the United States. Research!America has launched a new ad campaign that promotes US federal investments in driving research for new global health tools. A recent article in the Journal of Medical Microbiology discusses some of the scientific, financial, and ethical challenges in vaccine development. A new report by BIO Ventures for Global Health and the Biotechnology Industry Organization found that small- and medium-sized biotechnology companies are tackling the development of treatments, diagnostics, and other tools for neglected diseases. Congressman Edward Markey (D-Mass.) calls for a “detailed understanding of the harm” that mandatory cuts in the US federal budget to agencies such as the National Institutes of Health “pose to vital health programs upon which millions of Americans around the nation rely.”

It’s exciting to see that research is a central theme of this year’s AIDS 2012 conference in Washington, DC. The biennial gathering of the world’s top HIV and AIDS scientists, advocates, and policymakers comes on the heels of some of the most significant research results for new HIV prevention and treatment tools in recent years, and the Breakthroughs blog will be at the conference from July 22 to 27, reporting on these research and development (R&D) advances. In a press release made public this week from the AIDS 2012 organizers, R&D efforts stand out as a critical component of efforts to turn the tide against the pandemic. The release recognizes that in the last few years, several trials—including HPTN 052, TDF2, Partners PrEP, and iPrEx—have demonstrated with “solid evidence the efficacy of HIV treatment as prevention, while other studies are currently investigating the possibility of a cure for HIV.” The official conference program, now available online, indicates that even more R&D advances in HIV and AIDS treatment and prevention could be announced at the conference. “Thanks to these scientific advances, for the first time we have a real opportunity to make a major dent in the epidemic,” said Elly Katabira, AIDS 2012 international chair and president of the International AIDS Society. The conference has also secured an impressive list of keynote speakers, including former US President Bill Clinton, US Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Sir Elton John, South African Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, and philanthropist Bill Gates. Thanks to scientific advances, for the first time the world has a real opportunity to make a major dent in the HIV and AIDS pandemic. Photo credit: PATH/Evelyn Hockstein. Make sure to follow us on Breakthroughs for the latest R&D announcements from the conference, as well as significant policy news and implications for HIV prevention and treatment tools. We’ll also bring you the latest updates from GHTC members supporting these new HIV and AIDS technologies, including AVAC, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, the International Partnership for Microbicides, and the Population Council. “AIDS 2012 represents a unique occasion to mobilize policymakers, governments, NGOs, scientists, people living with HIV, and civil society to join forces,” said Diane Havlir, AIDS 2012 co-chair and professor of medicine at the University of California. “Despite the global turbulent economic climate we cannot miss this historic moment, and it is vital to continue to attract funding to invest in AIDS research and promote programs based on effectiveness and efficiency in order to optimize the use of resources.” We at the GHTC couldn’t agree more, and look forward to sharing what promises to be monumental R&D and policy news from AIDS 2012.

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US Agency for International Development Administrator Rajiv Shah were joined by more than 700 leaders from the private sector, government, and civil society for a major conference devoted to preventing childhood deaths worldwide. "Amid these financial threats and budgetary realities, it is inevitable that some will question the role of the United States in global development," Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) said at the conference. "But I would assert this morning that development assistance, when properly administered, remains a bargain for US national security and for our own economic and moral standing in the world." Five new pharmaceutical companies have joined a National Institutes of Health (NIH) program that will pair researchers with certain pharmaceutical industry compounds to help scientists explore new treatment options for patients. The program, called Discovering New Therapeutic Uses for Existing Molecules, is run by the NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has decided to delay its final decision on whether the drug Truvada, made by Gilead Sciences, can be used by certain high-risk, HIV-negative people as a preventive measure against HIV. The FDA says its decision will be announced by September 14, 2012. A Baltimore Sun letter-to-the-editor argues that there are more people living with tuberculosis (TB) “now than at any time in history.” The letter adds that prevention with “new vaccines is the only way to truly make TB a thing of history.”