The King Baudouin Foundation and the Belgian Consortium for HIV-AIDS Research (BREACH) are joining forces and allocating 400,000 euros over the next four years. Ten days ago, Minister Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) announced that he would release 1 million euros after the number of HIV diagnoses in Belgium increased by 4% in 2021. “A drop on a hot plate”, fears Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
“The AIDS/HIV epidemic is far from over. If you don’t invest in research, you pay with lives,” Médecins Sans Frontières said on World AIDS Day on 1 December. “Progress against the disease is slowing as financial support stagnates and many vulnerable states are hit hard economically and ecologically, leading to new infections.”
The 400,000 euros announced by the King Baudouin Foundation and BREACH are therefore certainly welcome. An independent international jury has selected a project that can use the money in the coming years. The awarded project is a collaboration between Ghent University, Ghent University Hospital, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, UMC Sint-Pieter, KU Leuven, UZ Leuven, UZ Brussel and the University Hospital of Liège.
The chosen project should characterize all aspects of the so-called ‘patients’ latent HIV reservoir’ with the virus. This is an important challenge because the reservoir (a set of cells in which the virus ‘sleeps’ but is inaccessible to antiviral drugs, ed.) is the main obstacle to the treatment of HIV/AIDS.
In particular, the study will compare the behavior of this reservoir between two groups of HIV-infected patients. One group is treated for a short time, the other group receives long-term antiretroviral treatment. The immunological profile of the patients will also be studied. Finally, new strategies to neutralize the reservoir will be evaluated in the laboratory on blood samples from the different groups of patients.
The project is part of a larger international study aimed at the remission or even cure of HIV/AIDS. “It also illustrates the high quality of AIDS research in Belgium and the ability to unite the efforts of all research groups in our country,” said Thierry Van Noppen, spokesman for the King Baudouin Foundation. “And in 2024 and 2026 there will be new calls for projects”.
The number of people tested for AIDS around the world is declining. AIDS remains one of the three deadliest diseases in the world, along with tuberculosis and malaria. “However, there are prevention techniques and treatments,” says Quentin Barrea of Médecins Sans Frontières. “What is missing above all is financial resources on a global scale.”
“Recently, Belgium pledged an additional €30 million to the Global Fund against HIV, TB and Malaria,” Barrea said. “Half is actually still part of our pledge from the previous supply round. Belgium has therefore only pledged €15m. We can safely call it a drop in the ocean.”
Our neighboring countries are doing much better. Germany will invest €130 million, the Netherlands €180 million, France €159.6 million and Luxembourg €117 million. “If the international community fails to mobilize more on these three diseases, humanity will pay the price”, concludes Barrea. “Any delay in the fight against HIV will lead to higher costs for health, people and the economy in the medium to long term.”
“The AIDS/HIV epidemic is far from over. If you don’t invest in research, you pay with lives,” Médecins Sans Frontières said on World AIDS Day on 1 December. “Progress against the disease is slowing as financial support stagnates and many vulnerable states are hit hard economically and ecologically, leading to new infections.” The 400,000 euros announced by the King Baudouin Foundation and BREACH are therefore certainly welcome. An independent international jury has selected a project that can use the money in the coming years. The awarded project is a collaboration between Ghent University, Ghent University Hospital, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, UMC Sint-Pieter, KU Leuven, UZ Leuven, UZ Brussel and the University Hospital of Liège. The chosen project should characterize all aspects of the so-called ‘patients’ latent HIV reservoir’ with the virus. This is an important challenge because the reservoir (a set of cells in which the virus ‘sleeps’ but is inaccessible to antiviral drugs, ed.) is the main obstacle to the treatment of HIV/AIDS. In particular, the study will compare the behavior of this reservoir between two groups of HIV-infected patients. One group is treated for a short time, the other group receives long-term antiretroviral treatment. The immunological profile of the patients will also be studied. Finally, new strategies to neutralize the reservoir will be tested in the laboratory on blood samples from different patient groups. The project is part of a larger international study aimed at the remission or even cure of HIV/AIDS. “It also illustrates the high quality of AIDS research in Belgium and the ability to unite the efforts of all research groups in our country,” said Thierry Van Noppen, spokesman for the King Baudouin Foundation. “And in 2024 and 2026 there will be new calls for projects”. The number of people tested for AIDS around the world is declining. AIDS remains one of the three deadliest diseases in the world, along with tuberculosis and malaria. “However, there are prevention techniques and treatments,” says Quentin Barrea of Médecins Sans Frontières. “What is missing above all is financial resources on a global scale.” “Recently, Belgium pledged an additional €30 million to the Global Fund against HIV, TB and Malaria,” Barrea said. “Half is actually still part of our pledge from the previous supply round. Belgium has therefore only pledged €15m. We can safely call it a drop in the ocean.” Our neighboring countries are doing much better. Germany will invest €130 million, the Netherlands €180 million, France €159.6 million and Luxembourg €117 million. “If the international community fails to mobilize more on these three diseases, humanity will pay the price”, concludes Barrea. “Any delay in the fight against HIV will lead to higher costs for health, people and the economy in the medium to long term.”
