AIDS researchers: Many more years to find cure

Deeks was co-chairman of a two-day symposium focussed on searches for a cure for HIV, that preceded the main conference in Melbourne. 

Thirty-five million people are living with HIV/AIDS today, according to the United Nations. 

AIDS 2014 come against the backdrop of recent cases that shed new light on how to drive the AIDS virus into remission. 

When an infant and two bone marrow transplant recipients appeared clear of the virus for months without antiretroviral treatment, scientists believed they could be onto a cure.

But the virus later showed up in both the case of the so-called Mississippi baby and the two transplant patients.

 "It does provide us with a strong rationale to move forward with clinical trials," said Deborah Persaud of the Johns Hopkins Childrens Center in Maryland, who led the team of researchers in the case of the unidentified child in March 2013. 

Deeks noted the significance of the "Mississippi baby" in the overall search for a cure. 

 

"So we really now know what we have to go after," he said.

 

(File photo: Gallo images)