AMFAR GIVES THANKS

GIVING THANKS Dear Lucas,

This year, I am thankful for Dr. Nathaniel Landau, Dr. Bruno Marchand, Dr. Rogier Sanders and Dr. Navid Madani.

These might not be names mentioned at your family table this Thanksgiving, but they are a few of the amfAR-funded researchers who have given me renewed hope for the future of HIV/AIDS treatment.

We already know that a breakthrough is within reach... because one man has been cured of AIDS.

Based, in part, on the discoveries of Dr. Landau, the HIV-positive man who was cured underwent an expensive and risky procedure that was designed to treat his acute leukemia. The procedure appears to have also eradicated HIV from his body. We need to find out how.

But the number of worthy studies we are able to fund will depend on the generosity of friends like you .

Over the past year, we have continued to support the brightest minds in HIV/AIDS research:

Dr. Marchand of the University of Missouri is studying a potential new drug called EFdA, which has been shown to be 500 times more potent in killing HIV than AZT, one of the first anti-HIV drugs.
Dr. Sanders of the University of Amsterdam is developing a new form of protein that could become the basis of an HIV vaccine.
Dr. Madani of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is working to identify chemical compounds that inhibit the entry of HIV into susceptible cells. These compounds could form the basis of new microbicides - products used to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV.

With all these initiatives off the ground and running, I have never been more thankful for how far we have come, or more encouraged that we will see an end to this ruthless disease. Your gift - every gift - makes a difference to those living with HIV/AIDS .

Sincerely,

Kevin Robert Frost
Chief Executive Officer