“HIV remains an important issue on our national and international agenda,” Germany’s Federal Minister of Health, Jens Spahn, said. “To further reduce the spread of HIV, we have made HIV self-testing widely available in Germany and will pass a bill to provide PrEP prescriptions free of charge for people with substantial risk of infection.

“Further research, concerted efforts and innovations are needed to end AIDS by 2030. We will therefore continue to invest in HIV research to find a vaccination and cure for HIV, and we are delighted that the IAS Conference on HIV Science in 2021 will bring together the renowned scientific community in Berlin to share state-of-the-art knowledge that contributes to preventing new HIV infections and to improving the lives of people living with HIV.

Germany is highly regarded for its leadership in HIV research and its capital is also home to the first and only reported case of a sterilizing cure for HIV, commonly known as the “Berlin patient”. German doctor Gero Hütter from the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin treated Timothy Ray Brown, an HIV-positive man, with acute myeloid leukaemia. Hütter led the process of a bone marrow transplant of haematopoietic stem cells from a naturally HIV-resistant donor, and Brown has continued to be free of readily detectable virus in the absence of therapy for 12 years. This case continues to serve as a scientific landmark suggesting that HIV infection might one day be curable.

“We are very proud to host the world’s most influential meeting on HIV research,” the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller, said. “It represents Berlin’s commitment to investing in cutting-edge and evidence-based approaches to ensure quality of life and equal access to treatment and prevention services. We look forward to working with the IAS to advance science and research needed for the global fight against HIV/AIDS.”

Official Page of the Conference.