Researching The Way To An HIV-Free Generation
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Approximately 34 million people are living with HIV, and about 2.7 million more are infected each year. More than 1 million of these people die every year and millions more may lose up to a third of their life spans. In the face of this global pandemic, we still do not have a vaccine or a cure.
AIDS Research Alliance (ARA), a research organization based in Los Angeles, conducts treatment and vaccine research, as well as HIV cure research. We envision a future in which HIV is eliminated and new infections are prevented. AIDS Research Alliance conducts clinical trials of promising vaccine candidates. We are the only Southern California site participating in the National Institutes of Health’s HIV Vaccines Trial Network (HVTN) 505 HIV Vaccine Study – the largest ongoing HIV vaccine study.
ARA’s site is unique because we are unaffiliated with any hospital or university, giving us the responsibility of recruiting study volunteers through our own outreach efforts in the Los Angeles community. Despite this challenge, we randomized our 90th patient for the HVTN 505 trial in April, ranking us in the top four HVTN sites. Through this achievement, we can contribute a considerable amount of research to the HVTN, help develop a vaccine and save millions of lives.
Alongside our HVTN 505 Vaccine Study, we conduct multiple other clinical trial studies. While there are treatments available for HIV, approximately 3 drugs are commonly used in combination to treat the disease. We continue in our research for more effective ways to treat HIV. Our research relies on studying the effects of drug treatments on volunteers.
One volunteer said of our work and its impact: “Volunteering as a trial patient at AIDS Research Alliance allowed me to help other people living with HIV/AIDS, and keep myself healthy as well… Because of research, I am still here. Because of research, I have had 23 years to pursue my dreams. Because of research, I have hope.”
ARA is now researching science’s most promising hope for a cure: HIV reservoir eradication. HIV reservoirs are cells in which the virus remains latent, creating a significant obstacle in treating and eradicating the disease from the body. The virus needs to be exposed. When we are successful in activating latent virus, we will overcome the greatest challenge in curing AIDS. The NIH has licensed ARA to develop prostratin, a drug that may play a large role in eradicating HIV.
AIDS Research Alliance began as a community-based research initiative in 1989, and has since helped to develop half of the HIV treatments available today. We have conducted over 150 clinical studies and advanced HIV/AIDS research and treatment. ARA provides health education to underserved populations in our community, raising awareness critical to the fight against HIV/AIDS.
We have grown our database to over 9,000 individuals interested in HIV/AIDS education and participation in one of our studies. We are the first organization to believe that it is possible to cure AIDS. We believe that our research and our community education will contribute to a cure, and through this, we can realize an HIV free generation.
More About This Charity
Region
West
Category
Health and Well Being
Name
AIDS Research Alliance
Mission
AIDS Research Alliance exists to develop a cure for HIV/AIDS, medical strategies to prevent new infections, and better treatments for people living with HIV.
Impact
- This Achievement helped 100,000 people.
- This Charity raised $308,329 in the past year.
- This Charity enrolled 90 individuals that met the requirements to enroll in study to develop a potential HIV vaccine to save millions of lives.
Works In
United States
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