• Question: What is the possibility of fully developing a cure for HIV/AIDS by 2020?

    Asked by 561prmc37 to Alex, Laura, Lesley, Richard, vediacan on 15 Jun 2015.
    • Photo: Richard Prince

      Richard Prince answered on 15 Jun 2015:

      Hi Manvir,
      I am not a virologist so can’t pretend that this is an expert opinion. However, I would say the chances are moderate to good. We understand many aspects of this disease quite well and we know that some people are naturally resistant to it. If you think about the progress since 1983 since HIV was first discovered, it has been remarkable. The disease is no longer an automatic death sentence and many people round the world are living highly productive lives with the help of antiretroviral drugs.
      A big question though, if and when a cure is discovered, is how widely it will be available. If it is a drug that requires an expensive technology e.g. an antibody based drug, then it might not be affordable in some of the areas in which HIV is most common.
      Best wishes
      Richard

    • Photo: Laura Newton

      Laura Newton answered on 15 Jun 2015:

      Hey!

      It’s possible! There are so many different ways of trying to treat the disease and so many people working on it that we are getting closer all the time.

      In fact in 2008 one person was cured from HIV by a new stem cell treatment, although at the moment this treatment is very expensive and dangerous. There is however a new clinical trial where researchers are trying to make this work better, they are taking people’s bone marrow (the place in your body where new blood cells are made) and trying to change their genes so that when they put it back they are resistant to HIV.

      That’s not all! According to the NHS website there are 17170o clinical trials at the moment for HIV/AIDS treatments.

      Thanks for your question!
      Laura

    • Photo: Vedia Can

      Vedia Can answered on 15 Jun 2015:

      Hi Manvir,

      I believe that we are very close to fully developing a cure for HIV/AIDS. Although, I am not a virologist I have a ground understanding of the foundations, and I keep a close eye on my peers research. So, by the time we reach 2020 I am positive that we will have the cure ready for distribution!

      Best Wishes,

      Vedia

    • Photo: Alex Agyemang

      Alex Agyemang answered on 16 Jun 2015:

      Hello Manvir,

      Currently, there is no cure for HIV/AIDs but a combination of the different antiretroviral drugs available are effective in controlling the amount of virus in the body, protecting the immune system and managing the symptoms of the disease. Taking more than one antiretroviral drug has the benefit of protecting the body against HIV drug resistance. Currently, there are some promising antiretrovirals under development which can take up to 10 years to become available for patients so unfortunately it is unlikely that a cure would be available by 2020.

      Best wishes,
      Alex

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