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Research

Prevention Research

Researchers are looking at many different ways to prevent the spread of HIV. Some research focuses on behaviors and social factors that increase the risk of HIV infection:

• Unprotected sexual contact (oral, anal, or vaginal)
• Injection drug use
• Poverty
• Lack of access to medical care
• Language barriers
• Cultural expectations
• Threat of partner violence

This research may explore how those factors place specific groups of people (people of color, women, men who have sex with men) at a higher risk of getting HIV. The goal of this type of research is to develop prevention programs that will stop the spread of HIV.

Other research examines biomedical methods of preventing HIV transmission. These include male circumcision and microbicides.

Since HIV was first identified in 1984, researchers have been working to develop an HIV vaccine. The goals of vaccine research are both preventative and therapeutic.

To date, the search for an effective HIV vaccine has not been successful. In June 2008, the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) canceled large-scale HIV vaccine trials after the failure of a similar privately funded vaccine trial in 2007. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of NIAID, explained that NIAID canceled the trial because scientists need a better understanding of how HIV vaccines and the immune system interact before they will be able to develop a successful vaccine.

For more information, see:

NIAID–HIV/AIDS Research Program

NIAID–HIV/AIDS Prevention Research Areas

NIAID–Research: HIV/AIDS Vaccines

Treatment Research

Research on treatment for HIV infection is extremely important. The development of new medications has had a dramatic, positive effect on those living with HIV—helping them to stay healthy longer and to continue living active lives. Current studies are exploring what makes the virus resistant to some treatments and the potential dangers related to HIV medications.

For more information, see NIAID’s Research: HIV/AIDS Therapeutics.