Aidsfonds funds six HIV Cure projects (€1.5 M)
Aidsfonds funds six HIV Cure projects (€1.5 M)
A cure for HIV is the dream of millions of people with HIV. However, before a cure will be available, a great deal of research and progress is needed. We are, therefore, delighted to announce that six projects have been selected that will contribute to accelerating a cure.
To advance the development of an HIV cure, Aidsfonds has made more than 1.5 million euros available which allows funding of six Dutch scientific research projects. Three of the selected projects will focus on the social, societal and communication aspects of cure. Additionally, Aidsfonds selected projects of young HIV researchers, thereby investing in a new generation of top researchers. All studies are in line with the NL4Cure research agenda, in which people with HIV, researchers and HIV practitioners and HIV nurses determined the priorities for Dutch cure research.
The selected projects
- Maartje Basten (Julius Centre, UMC Utrecht) - Making HIV cure work: impact on the quality of life, risk behaviour, and the Dutch epidemic
- Chantal den Daas (RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) - Awareness, importance, and meaning (AIM): HIV cure experiences and perspectives of PLHIV and key populations
- Shringar Rao (Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam) - Selective killing of HIV-infected, viral RNA-producing cells to eliminate the viral reservoir
- Casper Rokx (Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam) - Reservoir characterization in people with dominant HIV subtypes from Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa
- Sarah Stutterheim (Maastricht University) - Ensuring meaningful involvement and stigma reduction in HIV cure research
- Steven de Taeye (Academic Medical Centre - AMC) - Antibody engineering to improve antibody therapeutics for HIV-1 cure
Aidsfonds currently funds more than fifteen projects on HIV Cure. Click here to read more information about our Cure programme.
Development of cure: a marathon
Marein de Jong, scientific research expert at Aidsfonds: “Aidsfonds invests in both the biomedical development of HIV cure and the social aspects. These six proposals can together accelerate an HIV cure that is accessible to everyone worldwide. Moreover, with these grants, we give young talent in the Netherlands the opportunity to grow. The development of curing HIV is a marathon that requires a long breath and the right people!”