Thought Starter: Filling the Gaps in HIV Prevention Research

NIH is now determining the focus and priorities of the HIV clinical trials networks through 2027. Imagine that in 10 years we have long-acting prevention and treatment strategies effective for 6 months to a year. Imagine that we are closing in on an HIV vaccine that has an efficacy of at least 60 percent. In these scenarios, HIV prevention is a united concept. The products themselves may be discrete tools, but they work together in a holistic manner.

The pursuit of an HIV vaccine and other separate tools to prevent transmission traditionally have been siloed individually in discreet administrative organizations, both in HIV clinical research networks and within NIAID’s own organizational structure. Yet, research on a vaccine increasingly intersects with other prevention modalities. These new and increasingly important intersections require thoughtful approaches for the future. In this blog post, Dr. Carl Dieffenbach, Director of NIAID’s Division of AIDS, looks ahead to plans that integrate vaccine research into a broader HIV prevention research context.