David Ho To Establish HIV/AIDS Research Center in Hong Kong
Dr. David Ho, the scientific director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center in New York, has agreed to create and lead a sister research center at the University of Hong Kong to search for an HIV/AIDS vaccine, the Associated Press reports. Ho is primarily known for "pioneer[ing]" combination antiretroviral therapy in 1996. In addition to research, the Hong Kong center will also "provide advice to Asian nations" on methods of fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS, particularly in China, where officials estimate that about 850,000 people are HIV-positive. The United Nations last month released a report that found that 10 million Chinese people could be infected by 2010 (Associated Press, 7/6). The Hong Kong center will be funded by the U.S. government and private foundations, and its budget will be "more modest" than the $13 million to $14 million received annually by the New York research center, Ho said. He added that the research center is "part of a larger effort to do something that will help to gain control" of the epidemic (Benitez, South China Morning Post, 7/6).
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