Prevention Science

The HPTN research agenda is focused on four research areas:

antiretroviral therapies including Treatment as Prevention (TasP) and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), behavioral interventions, and substance use. Work in each of these research areas is led by one or more of the HPTN’s Scientific Committees. Committee members are experts in their respective fields, and members include clinical trial unit (CTU) scientists and community representatives. As the scientific foundation of the Network, scientific committees are responsible for refining and updating HPTN’s research agenda, setting priorities, crafting research concept plans and protocols, monitoring protocol development, monitoring study implementation, and ensuring timely publication of study results.

In addition to the four current research areas, the HPTN research agenda previously included a focus on microbicide and perinatal research strategies. These two research areas have been assumed by the Microbicide Trials Network (MTN) and International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials (IMPAACT), respectively.  Information about the microbicide and perinatal studies previously developed by the HPTN remains available on this website.

Because HIV is transmitted through different routes within different populations the pandemic represents a cumulative collection of heterogeneous mini-epidemics. Epidemiological models have demonstrated how multiple, mutually reinforcing HIV prevention strategies will have the greatest impact on slowing the overall HIV pandemic. Conceptually, at the population level, multiple prevention strategies are as essential to reducing HIV transmission as are combination treatment approaches at the individual level in improving HIV prognosis.  The HPTN’s robust research agenda provides a strong response to the crucial need for careful evaluation of the most effective non-vaccine HIV prevention approaches that have the greatest potential for slowing the spread of the virus worldwide.