Global Race Heats Up for HIV Vaccine and Cure: Trials Span Continents
By Gerald Wickman
Geneva, November 5, 2025
The pursuit of an effective HIV vaccine and a functional cure has entered a phase of unprecedented international collaboration and scientific speed, with major clinical trials now spanning multiple continents, according to data presented at recent global health conferences. While daily medication has transformed HIV from a death sentence into a manageable chronic condition, researchers worldwide are now working toward eliminating the virus entirely.
The current focus of cure research is centered on strategies like “kick and kill,” immunotherapy, and gene-editing techniques designed to flush the latent virus from the body’s cellular reservoirs. These complex studies, which aim for sustained viral suppression without daily antiretroviral therapy (ART), are moving out of traditional Western research hubs and into communities where the need is most urgent.
Africa Leads Cure Research Expansion
A significant milestone was reached recently with the presentation of findings from the first-ever complex HIV cure trial conducted in South Africa. This Phase 2a study, which focused on early-treated young women, demonstrated that highly specialized cure research can be successfully and ethically executed in resource-limited settings—a critical step given the continent’s disproportionate burden of the epidemic.
Meanwhile, trials involving broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs)—lab-made proteins that can suppress or even kill the virus—are moving forward in multiple regions. Researchers in the United Kingdom and Denmark reported promising results from a study showing a bNAb combination delayed viral rebound in some participants after stopping ART. Furthermore, the United States is home to numerous advanced trials focusing on adaptive immunotherapy and T-cell activation aimed at eliminating the viral reservoir.
Vaccines and Next-Generation Prevention
On the prevention front, vaccine candidates are progressing globally. A Phase 1 trial for a new proprietary HIV-1 vaccine candidate, sponsored by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), has expanded its dosing to volunteers in Australia. This effort, alongside other large-scale vaccine trials like the HVTN 702 study in South Africa, is leveraging new delivery platforms, including mRNA technology, in the hope of generating long-lasting, broadly protective immunity.
The focus is not just on traditional vaccines, but on developing easier, longer-lasting methods to stop transmission. Long-acting injectable drugs, some requiring only twice-yearly shots, are revolutionizing Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), offering a simpler alternative to daily pills and expanding prevention access across Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa.
A Global Web of Collaboration
The complexity of HIV necessitates a united front, and current research reflects this global commitment. Cure and treatment trials are underway or planned in dozens of countries, illustrating a truly international effort.
In Asia, China and Taiwan are running Phase II trials for novel antibody inhibitors and combination therapies. Thailand is a key location for cytokine-based trials designed to boost the immune system’s response to the virus.
The large-scale IMPAACT P1115 v2.0 study, focused on early intensive treatment for infants with HIV, is currently active across Argentina, Brazil, Haiti, Kenya, Malawi, Puerto Rico, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Experts agree that the current momentum, driven by innovations in genetics and immunotherapy, coupled with this widespread international collaboration, brings the world closer than ever to the long-hoped-for end of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
