September 1, 2011 -- With a renewed notice of award from the National Institutes of Health on August 1, UNC’s Center for AIDS Research has received federal support since its establishment in 1998. The latest NIH award of $14 million continues funding for the UNC CFAR through 2016.
UNC CFAR is designed to provide infrastructure to support four critical approaches to understanding and combating the global HIV/AIDS epidemic: clinical research, behavioral research, research into HIV biology and pathogenesis, and prevention research. In addition, the Center plays an active role in education and outreach, and provides developmental grant awards to support new ideas and new investigators in HIV/AIDS research.
“Infrastructure for these four approaches provides needed support for our research community as we study fundamental issues of HIV/AIDS pathogenesis, treatment, and prevention,” said CFAR director Ronald Swanstrom, PhD, professor of biochemistry and biophysics and microbiology and immunology.
The CFAR is a collaborative effort between HIV/AIDS investigators at UNC Chapel Hill and at its Triangle partners Research Triangle Institute and Family Health International 360. At UNC, CFAR investigators are spread across the campus. CFAR investigators work closely with the State Health Department, actively participate in national and international research networks, and maintain many collaborations with international scientists, especially in Malawi, South Africa and the People’s Republic of China. Recent successes of CFAR investigators include being awarded the NIH Delaney Collaboratory Cure AIDS grant, and leading the highly successful HPTN 052 prevention trial.
Media contact: Les Lang, 919-966-9366,
llang@med.unc.edu
