The United Nations estimates that in 2007 the total number of people living with HIV totaled 33 million, there were 2.5 million new infections, and 2.1 million people were killed by the epidemic. The UN also estimates that in Asia, AIDS may soon emerge as the single largest cause of death in the age group 15-42. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most affected region in the global AIDS epidemic. Although just over 10% of the world's population live in this region, 68% of adults and nearly 90% of children infected with HIV live here (22.5 million people living with the virus). The epidemic impacts children particularly and there are an estimated 11.4 million orphans due to AIDS.
Accordingly, an effective vaccine and new therapies are urgently needed. Gladstone scientists are dedicated to both of these goals. Scientific interactions have been established with several different organizations to facilitate the progress of the AIDS research effort. A few of these include close interactions with our colleagues at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
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