Partners join CD4 Initiative

A project developing a quick and cheap test to analyse the immune system of people living with HIV/AIDS today announced new international partners. Five organisations will be working collaboratively, as part of Imperial College London’s CD4 Initiative, to make this test a reality within the next four years.

The CD4 Initiative aims to develop an easy to use device which can measure the number of T cells possessing CD4 protein (CD4+ T-lymphocytes) in a patient’s blood.

These cells play a central role in orchestrating the immune system, and HIV infection leads to a progressive reduction in their numbers. Healthcare workers rely on a CD4+ T-cell count to make decisions about how patients should be treated and when they should begin antiretroviral therapy.

The CD4 Initiative is housed at Imperial College and is funded by an $8.6m grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. By working together, the new partners and Imperial aim to create the much-needed device in the shortest possible time.