About the only thing researchers knew about AIDS in 1981 was
that it had unusual symptoms and seemed common among gay men.
Today, 25 years later, not only do they better understand the
causes of AIDS and the significance of HIV, scientists have also
created treatments and generated prevention methods.
In honor of the contributions to the success in the research and
treatment of the disease since the first case of AIDS was reported
25 years ago, the UCLA AIDS Institute is holding a variety of
workshops and events today.
When the institute was started in 1992, there was still very
little known about what caused AIDS and how to cure it, said Thomas
Coates, an associate director of the UCLA AIDS Institute.
“Being gay myself, news of AIDS was frightening because we
knew nothing about it,” Coates said.
Nor did doctors and researchers have any idea of the impact AIDS
would have today, said Ronald Mitsuyasu, associate director of the
UCLA AIDS Institute and director of the UCLA Center for Clinical
AIDS Research and Education.
“The speed at which it grew and the extent of its spread
(were) beyond expectation,” Mitsuyasu said. “Our goal
at the time was just to discover how HIV causes AIDS and to find
treatment methods.”
The UCLA AIDS Institute started with a group of researchers and
doctors interested in the never-before-seen condition.
It became a means of combining different disciplines such as
research, clinical work and social science to find cures,
understand prevention and reduce stigma, Mitsuyasu said.
“The institute is an umbrella organization to draw public
focus at UCLA,” Mitsuyasu said. “It’s a
coordinating body that brings together individual researchers in
different areas.”
Some major advancements have been the development of
preventative measures to reduce mother-to-child AIDS transmission;
the finding that HIV occurs less often in circumcised males and
other advances in the treatment of HIV. The institute also works to
reduce the stigma associated with HIV.
In addition to developments in the U.S., the UCLA AIDS Institute
has also provided resources to countries all over the world,
including China, Peru, Uganda and India.
“The difference between the U.S. and other countries is
that AIDS is very concentrated in a specific area in the U.S. while
it is generalized among the population in South Africa,”
Coates said.
The future of AIDS research is hopeful. With enough investment,
the next 10 years may yield significant results, specifically in
treatment through gene therapy and stem cells, vaccine concepts and
training for faculty members, Coates said.
Last week, world leaders met at the United Nations to further
discuss how to fight the virus over the next 10 years. A recent
U.N. report found that 40 million people worldwide are living with
HIV/AIDS and that 8,000 die every day.
The report also said that while the spread of the disease has
slowed, there is still much to be done. More women and girls have
HIV than ever and many still lack the drugs they need.
“The epidemic continues to outpace us,” U.N.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan said. “Last year, globally,
there were more new infections than ever before, and more people
died than ever before.”
On top of providing treatment and educating others about AIDS,
experts say it is also important to deal with the social aspects of
the disease.
“People delay treatment because they’re afraid that
others will judge them,” Coates said. “Cancer was once
stigmatized as well, but now it has become a norm. The same thing
should happen for AIDS.”
Though the UCLA AIDS Institute has made significant progress
toward the elimination of AIDS, there is still much to be done in
terms of finding a definitive cure, Mitsuyasu said.
“Whether our goal to eradicate AIDS is feasible or not, we
need to change behaviors and gain support to continue research
until we find a cure,” Mitsuyasu said.
With reports from Bruin wire services.The UCLA AIDS
Institute will be hosting “25 Years of Caring” at Covel
Commons today from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.