amfAR’s research initiatives are aimed at finding a cure for HIV that will be useful to the 38M people living with HIV. The urgency of our goal demands that we direct our funding to studies that uncover vital knowledge directly applicable to curing HIV.
Persistent reservoirs of virus not cleared by antiretroviral therapy (ART) represent the main barrier to a cure. amfAR prioritizes the development of an eradicative cure over ART-free control of persistent virus. Eradication is preferred by PWH, should obviate the need for ongoing monitoring, may result in seroreversion with its attendant benefits, and is an unambiguous improvement over treatment, including with long-acting ART. However, amfAR also recognizes the value of a cure by ART-free control of persisting virus.
An eradicative cure requires the removal of HIV proviruses, or the cells that harbor them. Although not strictly necessary, an eradicative cure that also protects individuals from reinfection is of particularly high interest.
The development of a cure will require a series of well-planned research steps. The development pipeline is commonly thought to proceed from in vitro through ex vivo and preclinical animal testing stages before proceeding to clinical trial. Applicants should be able to:
- describe the clinical intervention they are working towards;
- articulate the current stage of development of their product; and
- describe the steps needed to progress to clinical testing.
Applicants may propose laboratory, animal or clinical research. Applicants should articulate a series of milestones that culminate in a clinical trial of the cure concept under consideration. Applications must be interventional, not descriptive.
You can submit queries at any time. Full proposals will be reviewed each February, May and August, with funding to start in March, June and September.