New hope in the fight against HIV

Berlin (dpa, d.de) – To mark World AIDS Day, UNAIDS, the UN’s joint HIV/AIDS programme, has released new figures showing that around 1.3 million people contracted HIV last year. An estimated 40.8 million people worldwide are currently living with the virus, and every minute someone dies from AIDS-related causes.  
Against this backdrop, a new research approach developed at the University of Cologne is fuelling hope. A recently identified antibody is being hailed as one of the most promising developments in HIV research in recent years. 

An international team led by German scientists first described the antibody, known as 04_A06, some time ago. In laboratory tests it neutralised 98.5 per cent of more than 300 HIV strains, while in trials involving humanised mice it reduced viral loads to undetectable levels on a lasting basis. Professor Florian Klein, Director of the Institute of Virology at University Hospital Cologne and lead investigator of the study, highlighted the importance of international collaboration, saying that close cooperation with research centres in Africa, Nepal and the United States had been crucial to the project’s success.  

The next step will be to further assess the antibody’s safety and efficacy in clinical trials, paving the way for its potential use in patient care. The study received support from organisations such as the Gates Foundation, the German Research Foundation (DFG), the German Centre for Infection Research and the European Research Council. 

Germany is also continuing to invest in the global fight against HIV. The Global Fund partnership – credited with saving more than 70 million lives since its inception – will receive additional backing following a new German pledge of one billion euros at the G20 summit in November. The aim of the funding is to boost HIV programmes worldwide and bolster the resilience of healthcare systems.