An HIV prevention study led by Myron Cohen, M.D., a professor of medicine, microbiology and epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Medicine, was named the 2011 Breakthrough of the Year by the journal Science.

The study, HPTN 052, evaluated whether antiretrovirals, which are medicines currently licensed to treat HIV infection, can prevent sexual transmission among couples in which one partner is HIV-infected and the other is not. The study found that early treatment with antiretroviral therapy reduced HIV transmission by at least 96 percent.

“While I am obviously thrilled to have this research recognized as the Science breakthrough of the year,” Cohen said, “witnessing the translation of this scientific discovery on a global scale truly is the best reward.”

The study was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Related Links:

• Complete list of top 10 scientific breakthroughs of the year.
• Official Release from UNC School of  Medicine
• Prevention of HIV-1 Infection with Early Antiretroviral Therapy: New England Journal of Medicine