Last updated on: 29 January 2025
Sidaction and Aidsfonds are thrilled to announce the awarded proposals of their first joint scientific research grant call, fully focusing on finding a cure for HIV. Our €2 million initiative brings together researchers from France, the Netherlands, and Africa to accelerate progress towards an HIV cure. Here are the granted research proposals:
Research into unique interactions between HIV-1 and HIV-2
While HIV-1 is typically more aggressive, people infected with both HIV-1 and HIV-2 can experience slower disease progression. Scientists are intrigued by this observation and believe that understanding this phenomenon could hold crucial clues for developing an HIV cure. A research team led by Assistant Professor Thibault Mesplède from Erasmus University in Rotterdam, will study 20 individuals with dual HIV-1/HIV-2 infection in Ghana, France and the Netherlands. They will analyse blood samples to measure the “hidden” reservoir of HIV; characterise the immune response and compare findings with individuals infected with only HIV-1 or HIV-2, as well as non-infected individuals.
Research into the role of health care professionals in clinical trials
How doctors make decisions about which patients to include in trials and when to stop their medication can affect the trial’s success, patient well-being, and even how willing patients are to participate. A study team led by Christel Protière from the French Institute of Health and Medical Research Inserm, aims to improve how HIV cure research is conducted by better understanding the role and experiences of the health care professionals involved. Through observations and interviews with doctors, patients and community organisations, the goal is to provide tools that improve communication between doctors and patients and to make sure these trials are ethical, effective, with patients well-supported throughout the process.
Research into a new way to deliver antibodies to fight HIV
Current treatments for delivering antibodies (called broadly neutralising antibodies or bNAbs) require frequent injections, which can be inconvenient and may not work for everyone. Jori Symons from the University Medical Center Utrecht aims to develop a new way to deliver powerful antibodies to fight HIV. The consortium that also includes researchers from the University Medical Centres in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, Institut Pasteur in France and the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, will use tiny particles called lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to deliver instructions for making bNAbs directly into the body. By exploring how these bNAbs can work with the body’s immune system to clear HIV-infected cells, the team hopes to create an intervention that can effectively reduce the amount of hidden HIV in the body and prevent the virus from rebounding.
The other proposals will be published during this and next week, so keep an eye on this website and social media!
Fundamental infrastructure for further collaboration
We congratulate all researchers with their grants. Sidaction and Aidsfonds trust that these studies have the potential to significantly advance our understanding of HIV infection; inspire new and improved therapies; achieve long-term control of the virus; stop HIV at its earliest stages; and ultimately to pave the way for HIV cure strategies.
By funding this research, we also contribute to the establishment of a network that will serve as fundamental infrastructure for further collaboration. Additionally, this new network may contribute to readdressing the current power imbalances in HIV cure research, with insufficient input by African researchers and stakeholders.
About the grants call 2024
This work is part of a €2 million initiative from Sidaction and Aidsfonds that brings together researchers from France, the Netherlands, and Africa to accelerate progress towards an HIV cure. A cure for HIV means that people no longer need to take daily medication, no longer need to receive routine checks at a hospital and that the stigma surrounding HIV disappears for good.
In total we have received 54 pre-proposals from researchers in France, the Netherlands and multiple countries in Africa. From the 25 full proposals that were submitted, a review committee of independent experts selected 6 promising research proposals.
Pre-announcement call for proposals 2025
We are confident that finding a cure for HIV is possible – even though this demands intensive research, time and funds. We are therefore proud to soon announce our new 2025 joint call for proposals with the same topic: finding a cure for HIV. We look forward to the day when everyone has access to a cure!
