40 Years of Progress: It’s Time to End the HIV Epidemic

Guest post by Maureen M. Goodenow, PhD, Associate Director for AIDS Research and Director, Office of AIDS Research, National Institutes of Health

On June 5th, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of AIDS Research (OAR) joined colleagues worldwide to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the landmark 1981 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) that first recognized the syndrome of diseases later named AIDS. June 5th also marks HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day. 

Forty years ago, the CDC’s MMWR described five people who were diagnosed with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia—catalyzing a global effort that led to the identification of AIDS, and later, the virus that causes AIDS.

Over the years, much of the progress to guide the response to HIV has emerged from research funded by the NIH, and helped turn a once fatal disease into a now manageable chronic illness. This progress is attributable in large part to the nation’s longstanding HIV leadership and contributions at home and abroad.

NIH is taking action to recognize the milestones achieved through science, pay tribute to more than 32 million people who have died from AIDS-related illness globally (including 700,000 Americans), and support the goal of Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) and worldwide. OAR is coordinating with NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices (ICOs) to share messaging that will continue through NIH’s World AIDS Day commemoration on December 1, 2021.

The NIH remains committed to supporting basic, clinical, and translational research to develop cutting-edge solutions for the ongoing challenges of the HIV epidemic. The scientific community has achieved groundbreaking advances in the understanding of basic virology, human immunology, and HIV pathogenesis and has led the development of safe, effective antiretroviral medications and effective interventions to prevent HIV acquisition and transmission.

Nevertheless, HIV remains a serious public health issue.

NIH established the OAR in 1988 to ensure that NIH HIV/AIDS research funding is directed at the highest priority research areas, and to facilitate maximum return on the investment. OAR’s mission is accomplished in partnership within the NIH through the ICs that plan and implement specific HIV programs or projects, coordinated by the NIH HIV/AIDS Executive Committee. As I reflect on our progress against HIV/AIDS, I would like to note the collaboration, cooperation, innovation, and other activities across the NIH ICOs in accelerating HIV/AIDS research.

Key scientific advances using novel methods and technologies have emerged in the priority areas of the NIH HIV research portfolio. Many of these advances stem from NIH-funded efforts, and all point to important directions for the NIH HIV research agenda in the coming years, particularly in the areas of new formulations of current drugs, new delivery systems, dual use of drugs for treatment and prevention, and new classes of drugs with novel strategies to treat viruses with resistance to current drug regimens.

Further development of long-lasting HIV prevention measures and treatments remains at the forefront of the NIH research portfolio on HIV/AIDS research.

NIH-funded investigators continue to uncover new details about the virus life cycle, which is crucial for the development of next generation HIV treatment approaches. Additionally, the NIH is focused on developing novel diagnostics to detect the virus as early as possible after infection.

Results in the next two years from ongoing NIH-supported HIV clinical trials will have vital implications for HIV prevention, treatment, and cure strategies going forward. For example, two NIH-funded clinical trials for HIV vaccines, Imbokodo and Mosaico, are evaluating an experimental HIV vaccine regimen designed to protect against a wide variety of global HIV strains. These studies comprise a crucial component of the NIH’s efforts to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

As we close on four decades of research, I look forward to the new advances aimed at prevention and treatment in the years to come.

You can play a role in efforts to help raise awareness and get involved with efforts to end the HIV epidemic. Visit OAR’s 40 Years of Progress: It’s Time to End the HIV Epidemic webpage, and use the toolkit of ready-to-go resources.