HIV and AIDS

Burnet + HIV

HIV is a major focus at Burnet, with more than half our work addressing laboratory-based research into finding a cure for the disease while our public health programs are focused on education and prevention both in Australia and overseas.

Nearly 37 million people are living with HIV.

Sub-Saharan Africa is the most affected region with more than 25 million people affected, and accounts for over 65 percent of the global total of new HIV infections. Tragically, HIV claims the lives of 1.1 million people each year globally.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects cells of the immune system, causing it to become weak and making it more susceptible to infections. HIV is generally spread through unprotected sexual intercourse or contaminated blood, but can also be spread from mother to child during pregnancy. There is no cure for HIV.

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is the most advanced stage of HIV infection. It can take 10-15 years for an HIV-infected person to develop AIDS but antiretroviral (ARV) drugs have made a huge difference in slowing or halting the progression to AIDS.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates more than 36 million people are living with the virus, with 2.1 million new infections (of which 20 percent are of adolescent girls and young women aged 15-24) and 1.1 million people dying from AIDS-related illnesses each year. It is estimated that currently only 51 percent of people with HIV know their status. The WHO reports that In 2015, 17 million people living with HIV were receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) globally, of which 10.3 million were in eastern and southern Africa.

**World AIDS Day - 1 December

World AIDS Day, held each year on 1 December, is an opportunity for people worldwide to show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate those who have died.

Projects

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Support out groundbreaking HIV research

Current Projects

  • A novel biomarker for gut leakage as a diagnostic tool for HIV disease progression

  • A GIFT (Genital Inflammation Test) for HIV Prevention

  • A novel gel for targeting vaginal inflammation to prevent HIV transmission

  • Access Point Of Care Initiative

  • ACCESS: STI and BBV surveillance system

  • Antimicrobial and immune modulatory effects of vaginal microbiota metabolites

  • APPRISE - Centre for Research Excellence

  • Broadly neutralising anti-HIV antibodies and Fc Receptor function

  • co-EC Study: Eliminating hepatitis C/HIV coinfection

  • Community-Based Rapid HIV Testing Services

  • CREIDU: Centre for Research Excellence into Injecting Drug Use

  • DARE C: ATAHC II Substudy

  • Decision science using Optima

  • Depo Provera and Beyond

  • Development of a novel prophylactic vaccine candidate for HIV-1

  • Development of hydrogel based intravaginal drug delivery device

  • Getting to the heart of cardiovascular disease in HIV

  • Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies

  • HIV Prevention Cohort

  • Impact of a vaginal microbiota metabolite on epithelium integrity and HIV susceptibility

  • Inequalities in sexual and reproductive health in Asia and the Pacific

  • Mucosal injury from sexual contact (MISC)

  • New drugs for HIV prevention: novel inhibitors against an essential HIV target

  • Predicting quality and potency of monoclonal and natural antibodies

  • PrEPX: Rapid scale-up of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)

  • Project Geldom

  • PRONTO! Rapid HIV point-of-care testing in Victoria

  • Sex, Drugs, and Rock'n'Roll (Big Day Out Study)

  • Sexual and reproductive health in Asia and the Pacific

  • SHARP: Sexual Health And Risk Prevention Study

  • SRHIP: Sexual & Reproductive Health Integration Project

  • SuperMIX: The Melbourne Injecting Drug User Cohort Study

  • Sustainability of HIV Services for Key Populations in Asia Program (SKPA)

  • TAIPAN: HIV cascade surveillance

  • Targeting HIV-infected macrophages to achieve an HIV cure

  • Targeting novel sites on reverse transcriptase for HIV treatment and prevention

  • The impact of viral infections on immune ageing

  • The International Collaboration on Hepatitis C Elimination in HIV Cohorts (InCHEHC)

  • The persistence of HIV in monocytes and macrophages

  • The role of female genital tract microbial function in inflammation and HIV infection risk.

  • The role of monocytes in the development of cardiovascular disease

Past Projects

  • PATH Cohort Study