A cure for HIV, long thought impossible, is now well within the mainstream of current research efforts. The case of the Berlin patient, cured in 2007, sparked a sea change in the field, providing proof that a cure was possible. However, research funding dedicated to finding a cure has been slow to catch up. While investments in cure research rose by 82 percent between 2012 and 2014, from $88.1 million to $160.8 million, this represents only a fraction of what is needed to address the enormously complex and unprecedented challenge of curing HIV.
Recognizing the urgent need to close this funding gap and build on our growing understanding of the last remaining barriers to a cure, amfAR launched the Countdown to a Cure in 2014. This ambitious initiative is aimed at developing the scientific basis of a cure for HIV by the end of 2020. We have committed to investing $100 million in innovative, cure-focused research studies that will revolutionize the field and help us make history by ending one of the worst pandemics the world has ever known.
But there’s a big difference between spending $100 million, and spending it well.
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