HIV Discovery Awarded “Breakthrough of the Year”
Johns Hopkins Researchers’ HIV Discovery Awarded "Breakthrough of the Year"
A team of researchers together with several members from Johns Hopkins discovered that HIV treatment with antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) can actually prevent the transmission of the virus from an infected person to his or her uninfected partner. This latest discovery has been named as the "Breakthrough of the Year" for 2011.
HPTN 052, the clinical trial, proved that early initiation of ARV therapy in infected people with HIV lessens the transmission of the virus to their partners by 96%. According to the science Journal, the latest discovery has ended the longstanding debate over whether ARV treatment of HIV-infected individuals can simultaneously cut the transmission rates. It's now clear that ARV treatment can reduce the HIV transmission.
Anthony Fauci, the government’s top HIV researcher, found the results to be "astounding." While others have called it a "game changer" because of it’s nearly 100% efficacy of the intervention.
Further, researchers have provided oversight and support for the entire laboratory testing in the trial, and also performed quality assurance testing and other specialized testing for samples coming from study sites- nations in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as Brazil, India and Thailand.
According to Susan H. Eshleman, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and head of the Network Laboratory for the HIV Prevention Trials Network, “It's wonderful for this trial to be recognized. This research moves the field of HIV prevention science forward, leading us on a path toward curbing the HIV epidemic. It provides a new direction for HIV prevention research and is beginning to shape public health policy."
Posted by
George Daniels
on Friday December 23 2011, 1:27 PM EST.
Ref: Anthony Fauci et al.
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