Ethics are a cornerstone of all scientific research, providing principles by which studies should be conducted to ensure that participants are properly informed and that any risks are justified and acceptable. This module provides background on research ethics and covers ethical considerations and issues that are specific to HIV cure research.
Ethical Considerations for HIV Cure Research Module (PowerPoint)
Ethical Considerations for HIV Cure Research Module (PDF)
Additional Resources
Background References:
- Lo B, Grady C, on Behalf of the Working Group on Ethics of the International AIDS Society. Ethical Considerations in HIV Cure Research: Points to Consider. Current Opinion in HIV/AIDS 2013; 8: 243 – 9.
- Eyal N, Holtzman LG, Deeks SG. Ethical Issues in HIV Remission Trials. Current Opinion in HIV/AIDS 2018;13(5):422-7.
- Garner SA, Rennie S, Ananworanich J, Dubé K, Margolis DM, Sugarman J, Tressler R, Gilbertson A, Dawson L. Interrupting Antiretroviral Treatment in HIV Cure Research: Scientific and Ethical Considerations. Journal of Virus Eradication 2017;3:82-4.
- Julg B, Dee L., Ananworanich J, Barouch BH, Bar K, et al. Recommendations for Analytical Treatment Interruption in HIV Research Trials – Report of a Consensus Workshop. Lancet HIV 2019; 6(4):e259-68.
- Dubé K, Kanazawa J, Taylor J, Dee L, Jones N, Roebuck C, Sylla L, Louella M, Kosmyna J, Kelly D, Clanton O, Palm D, Campbell DM, Onaiwu MG, Patel H, Ndukwe S, Henley L, Johnson MO, Saberi P, Brown B, Sauceda JA, Sugarman J. Ethics of HIV Cure Research: An Unfinished Agenda. BMC Medical Ethics 2021;22:83. [This article contains a list of open research ethics questions for the field of HIV cure-related research. These questions were developed with strong input from the community.]
- Dubé K, Sylla L, Dee L, Taylor J, Evans D, Bruton CD, Gilbertson A, Gralinski L, Brown B, Skinner A, Weiner BJ, Greene SG, Corneli A, Adimora AA, Tucker JD, Rennie S. Research on HIV Cure: Mapping the Ethics Landscape. PLoS Medicine 2017;14(12):e1002470.
- Dubé K, Gianella S, Concha-Garcia S, Little SJ, Kaytes A, Taylor J, Mathur K, Javadi S, Nathan A, Patel H, Luter S, Philpott-Jones S, Brown B, Smith D. Ethical Considerations for HIV Cure-Related Research at the End of Life. BMC Medical Ethics 2018;19:83.
- Dubé K, Dee L. Willingness to Risk Death Endpoint in HIV Cure-Related Research with Otherwise Healthy Volunteers is Misleading. Journal of Virus Eradication 2020;6:81-4 [This article contains a list of safeguards to help minimize risks in HIV cure clinical research.]