AmfAR announces $760,000 in grants (6740)

The American Foundation for AIDS Research announced that it is awarding $760,000 in grants for new research projects aimed at unraveling some of the mysteries still associated with AIDS. The grants include $360,000 for research into antiretroviral drugs, vaccines, viral latency, and methods for restoring immune function in HIV-positive people. Four two-year fellowships totaling nearly $400,000 were awarded to scientists just entering HIV/AIDS research. Several other smaller grants also were announced.

"AmfAR's new awards target areas of HIV/AIDS research that have challenged scientists," said Jay Levy, an AIDS researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, and chair of amfAR's Basic Research and Scientific Advisory committees. "The amfAR-supported researchers plan to study the unique proteins that coat the AIDS virus in order to develop more effective vaccines and drug treatments and to better understand changes in the immune system that take place after HIV infection." A full list of grant recipients is available online at www.amfar.org.