Singapore, Oct. 28 -- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) plans to invest at least $100 million over the next four years towards an audacious goal: develop affordable, gene-based cures for sickle cell disease (SCD) and HIV. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will also invest $100 million toward this goal. The intention is for these cures to be made globally available, including in low-resource settings.

This initiative follows a bold announcement made earlier this year by President Donald J. Trump during the State of the Union Address to end the HIV epidemic in the United States in the next 10 years. Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America aims to leverage the powerful data and tools now available to reduce new HIV diagnoses in ...