Western researcher helping bring HIV cure within reach 

HIV-infected H9 T-cell, viewed through electron microscope. Photo: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Wikimedia Commons At first, in the medical fight against AIDS, there was only uncertainty. Then researchers brought hope in the form of life-saving treatment - antiretrovirals that stop HIV from replicating in an infected person and reduce the risk of transmission. Now, as the international community marks World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, a cure could be within REACH. Western University researcher Jessica Prodger is a collaborator in Research Enterprise to Advance a Cure for HIV (REACH), an ambitious multi-institutional project funded through the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). HIV is resilient and has, so far, been resistant to a cure.