Cure for AIDS Act of 2013

finding a cure is essential to ending the AIDS epidemic in the United States and globally;

AIDS treatment has saved millions of lives and also makes it much less likely that HIV infection will be passed to a partner;

access to AIDS treatment in the United States and globally needs to continue to be expanded but AIDS treatment is not a cure and not the ultimate solution for the tens of millions of people living with HIV/AIDS;

the National Institutes of Health is the leading health research organization in the world and has dedicated millions of dollars to AIDS cure research;

to accelerate AIDS cure research and product development, it is becoming increasingly important to invest in areas that can complement the essential role of the National Institutes of Health; and

a cure will save hundreds of millions of dollars in spending and have a powerful positive economic impact globally.

It is estimated that in 2012 roughly 35,300,000 people were living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.

In the United States, 1,200,000 Americans are estimated to be infected with the virus.

Every 9.5 minutes, a citizen of the United States becomes infected with HIV. Roughly 2,700,000 individuals, including 390,000 children, became newly infected with HIV in 2010 alone.

In fiscal year 2012, the Federal Government spent $27,700,000,000 on HIV/AIDS, the largest component being services and treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States at a cost of $15,600,000,000. The average lifetime cost of HIV treatment is estimated to be $367,134 per person.

In the last two years, discoveries have led to growing optimism in the scientific community that a cure for AIDS can be found. The eradication of HIV from the body of one individual in Germany has led many scientific leaders to believe that curing AIDS is now possible. Leading researchers believe we are now at the cutting edge of scientific discovery for an AIDS cure with a range of novel approaches being explored, including stem cells, gene therapy, medications, and immune response modifications, such as therapeutic vaccines.

How HIV persists despite antiretroviral therapy.

Where HIV persists beyond the reach of antiretroviral therapy.

Whether ongoing attempts of the immune system to clear the infection actually hinders the ability of the medical community to cure infected individuals.

Why the immune system reduces but does not eliminate levels of the virus.

How to measure ultra-low levels of the virus in the body of an infected individual.

Identifying and testing interventions, such as drugs, that may eliminate the virus from infected individuals.

Identifying and testing interventions, such as vaccines, that may help an infected individual permanently control the virus without antiretroviral therapy.