Translational Research Platform of the TTU HIV of the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF)

Despite major advances in therapy and management, HIV/AIDS continues to be a major cause of infectious disease morbidity and mortality on a global scale. The discovery of effective antiretroviral treatment has turned HIV infection into a manageable chronic disease in most patients with access to care. However, the different economic and epidemiologic situation in developing and developed countries requires different research priorities, so that three main challanges are universal and in focus of research of the DZIF HIV Translational Platform:

• Prevention of HIV infection
• Long-term life with HIV
• HIV cure

The "Translation Reserach HIV" will bring together clinical researchers in HIV infection in order to develop new treatment options to the above mentioned main challanges. It will take advantage of existing expertise (e.g. basic science, novel targets for treatment and HIV eradiation) of the partner sites. This platform is necessary because Germany's HIV research has suffered in the past from a lack of integration between its excellent basic science and clinical research. In addition, there was too little integration into networks that address the main international challenges. There is an urgent need to link these research strands through dedicated structures emphasising the translation of preclinical results into new therapies.