40 years of HIV research: the ongoing commitment of ANRS | MIE

40 years of discovery

Since 1983, when the virus was first identified by researcher Françoise Barré-Sinoussi in Luc Montagnier’s Viral Oncology Unit at the Institut Pasteur, it has been a long road for people living with HIV. Forty years after this discovery, science has finally transformed a death sentence into an “almost” normal life.

Important milestones

Numerous milestones have made this major step forward possible. These include:

• The appearance of the first screening and diagnostic tests in 1985.
• The evidence in 1994 that an antiretroviral drug, AZT or Zidovudine, reduces the risk of mother-to-child transmission.
• The development of an effective combination of three antiretroviral drugs, including a class of innovative molecules known as antiproteases, in 1996. This marked the beginning of modern tritherapies.
• The confirmation between 2010 and 2015 of the use of antiretrovirals and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as effective tools for preventing contamination in HIV-negative people.

These advances in screening, diagnosis, treatment and prevention have been made possible in part by the sustained efforts of French research.

Despite this decisive progress, the goal of ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic in France and worldwide by 2030, is still a long way off. According to the United Nations, this goal of the third Sustainable Development Goal is still possible, but with strong political will, increased funding and investment in key areas such as evidence-based HIV prevention and treatment, and the implementation of these tools within international health systems.

The agency’s commitment

Throughout its history, ANRS | MIE is proud to have sponsored research projects that have not only produced high-quality scientific results, but have also been able to influence political and research decisions. It is in this context that ANRS | MIE, together with the Agence régionale de santé (ARS) d’Île-de-France, has signed a joint declaration on HIV transmission elimination in Île-de-France by 2030. The key interventions that will help accelerate the fight against HIV include better knowledge of the epidemic, shared with all players, and improved implementation of prevention strategies.

ANRS | MIE has also signed a letter with the French National AIDS and Viral Hepatitis Council (CNS) for healthcare professionals. The letter reiterates that eradication of viral transmission by 2030 requires healthcare professionals’ continued commitment to knowledge and implementation of effective combination strategies.

Today more than ever, ANRS | MIE continues to play a central role in HIV/AIDS research and in a global approach to infectious diseases, in the hope of achieving one day an HIV-free world.