Launching a multidisciplinary European collaboration towards a cure for HIV: The EU2Cure Consortium

• Published in: Journal of Virus Eradication 2021-06, Vol.7 (2), p.100045
• Main Authors: Rokx, C., Prins, H.A.B., Vandekerckhove, L., Fidler, S.J., Frater, J., Bracchi, M., Søgaard, O.S., Tolstrop, M., Rasmussen, T.A., Salgado, M., Blanco, J., Martinez-Picado, J., Clotet, B., Tambussi, G., Groenendijk, A., Verbon, A., Boucher, C.A.B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Collaboration; HIV cohort; HIV cure; Network; Reservoir; Shock and kill; Viewpoint
• ISSN: 2055-6640; 2055-6659
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jve.2021.100045

We felt the urgency to launch the EU2Cure Consortium to support research and find a cure for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection through intensified collaboration within Europe. This consortium is open to stakeholders on cure in Europe from academia and the community to connect. The aim of this consortium is to intensify the research collaboration amongst European HIV cure groups and the community and facilitate interactions with other academic and community cure consortia, private parties, and policy makers. Our main aim is to create a European research agenda, data sharing, and development of best practice for clinical and translational science to achieve breakthroughs with clinically feasible HIV cure strategies. This consortium should also enable setting up collaborative studies accessible to a broader group of people living with HIV. Besides reservoir studies, we have identified three overlapping scientific interests in the consortium that provide a starting point for further research within a European network: developing “shock and kill” cure strategies, defining HIV cure biomarkers, and connecting cure cohorts. This strategy should aid stakeholders to sustain progress in HIV cure research regardless of coincidental global health or political crises.