crédit photo : ©Inserm

AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

This sexually transmitted infection is caused by a virus called HIV which attacks the immune system, making the body less resistant to normally benign diseases.

Every year there are almost 2 million new cases.

WHO reports that more and more adolescents are affected by AIDS. “Over two million adolescents aged 10 to 19 live with HIV, and many of them do not receive the necessary treatment and support to stay healthy and prevent transmission”, WHO stated on Monday.

This worrying figure has been increasing steadily over the last ten years.

30 years after discovering the virus that causes AIDS, Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, (Nobel Prize 2008), Anna-Laura Ross and Jean-François Delfraissy (Director of the ANRS – French National Agency for AIDS Research) recently published an article in Nature Review Microbiology on the major milestones of AIDS research.

They emphasise how translational research has affected the treatment and prevention of HIV. They also mention the areas of current research and future scientific challenges, particularly in the search for HIV treatment.

Past, present and future: 30 years of HIV research

Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, Anna Laura Ross & Jean-François Delfraissy

Nature Reviews Microbiology, 28 October 2013