HIV
We laid the foundation for AIDS and HIV research.
The first building blocks of the research on AIDS and the HIV virus were laid in Antwerp. Researchers of the institute discovered that slim disease (a common form of AIDS in Africa) was the same as the virus affecting MSM* in the West. Thanks to the efforts of ITM, this disease got recognised as an African heterosexual disease that mostly affects poor people. In addition, they discovered similar viruses in monkeys - the so-called simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVs) - and gained insights into the origin of HIV in chimpanzees.
For decades, ITM has been a medical services provider and a taboo breaking champion for people infected by HIV. We have a strong commitment to HIV and AIDS research in the areas of virology, epidemiology, prevention, education, diagnosis, therapy and social issues.
*Men who have sex with men
Units
Consultations
The experts of our clinic are specialised in everything related to STIs and HIV. Make an appointment now.
Our services
For more than 40 years, ITM has been providing comprehensive medical and psychosocial care to people living with HIV.
All three departments of ITM do their bit.
Public Health
We measure and improve the quality of life of people living with HIV, focusing on prevention (e.g. PrEP), HIV stigma and vulnerable groups.
Clinical Sciences
We provide medical services and individual psychological counselling, hold discussion groups for people living with HIV, organise an annual World Aids Day campaign, study innovative diagnostic techniques for HIV and STIs, and conduct prevalence studies of STIs and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), in collaboration with partner institutions.
Biomedical Sciences
We study biomedical prevention methods (microbicides), the development of treatment resistance, and useful molecules and strategies for treatment, prevention and cure.
Interesting projects
Be-PrEP-Ared: our study about the efficacy of PrEP as a potential prevention strategy in Belgium
Swab2Know: our project on the use of free and anonymous tests for HIV prevention
HIVSAM - Africans Against HIV: our project on the implementation of HIV prevention and the promotion of sexual health with Sub-Saharan African migrants (SAM) in Flanders.
Research themes
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Bacteria have found various ways to develop resistance (AMR), of which resistance to antibiotics is a problem reaching across many different domains. -
Tireless effort is crucial to eliminate human African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness, in the world. For more than a century, ITM has been playing its part.
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Arboviruses such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika are urgent public health threats in tropical and subtropical areas.
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By combining efforts on biological, human and societal aspects of the disease, ITM hopes to control and ultimately eliminate malaria in the long term.
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Neglected (tropical) diseases are high on the agenda. For many years, ITM has been actively involved in research on NTDs, in particular on leishmaniasis, leprosy and sleeping sickness.
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Before vaccines or drugs can be used in the general population, their safety and effectiveness are thoroughly investigated in clinical trials.
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For more than 10 years, ITM has been actively monitoring exotic mosquitoes in Belgium.
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ITM is closely monitoring the development of the mpox disease, both in Belgium and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
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We help improve sexual and reproductive health in the world by combining scientific research, advanced education, policy support and capacity-strengthening initiatives.
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ITM’s research on tuberculosis (TB) is world-renowned. Its shorter combination treatment for resistant tuberculosis was a worldwide breakthrough. Our researchers study new diagnostics and case detection techniques, with the largest public collection of TB strains in the world at their disposal.
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EcoHealth is an interdepartmental group that unites researchers from different backgrounds and disciplines. We all recognise the need for comprehensive, systemic approaches to address current health challenges that emerge at the interface between humans, animals and their broader natural, social and political environments.
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Since the beginning, ITM has been providing medical services to people returning ill from overseas. As such, ITM accumulated profound knowledge of tropical diseases, as well as STIs and HIV.
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The right to health implies that everybody, everywhere should have access to the needed essential health products, included but not limited to diagnostics, vaccines and medicines.
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Clinical, epidemiological and diagnostics studies, secondary analyses of health data and BioSamples, behavioural studies or any other studies that involve the participation of human individuals, should yield social value and be scientifically justified and ethically sound.
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In a highly interconnected world, ITM continues to innovate and develop its outbreak research capacity.
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ITM has decades of experience fighting infectious diseases and curbing epidemics. We are fully committed to helping stop the COVID-19 pandemic that is threatening the world. To this end, we work together with partners at home and abroad.
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Ebola is a deadly disease that was co-discovered in 1976 by researchers of the institute. ITM has been closely monitoring subsequent outbreaks on the African continent, as well as contributing to new developments in diagnostics and treatment.
