2011 was a year full of exciting advances in global health research and development, complicated by a volatile budget climate.

Emily Halnon is the Communications Associate at GHTC. Below is her reaction to a photo reception documenting programs in Kenya that GHTC hosted last week.

In countries like Kenya, some of the most incredible global health research is taking place to develop new drugs, vaccines, diagnostics and other health products. In addition, previous research has lead to the roll-out of lifesaving health tools such as HIV and AIDS drugs, vaccines to protect children from pneumonia, and insecticide-treated bednets to prevent malaria.

Luann Tia Blount is the Clinical Communications Officer for GHTC member the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM), a nonprofit product development partnership dedicated to developing new HIV prevention technologies and making them available to women in developing countries. This post discusses novel approaches to HIV prevention, namely an adapted medical technology used to deliver hormones to women—the vaginal ring.

Earlier today, the fourth annual G-FINDER report was released. This resource, developed by Policy Cures, is the only one of its kind that maps the global level of investment in developing new vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, and other tools that address 31 neglected diseases. This year’s report studies funding levels and trends in 2010.

Kevin Fisher is the Policy Director for GHTC member AVAC: Global Advocacy for HIV Prevention, an organization that focuses on accelerating the development and delivery of critical AIDS vaccines and HIV treatment and prevention tools. AVAC and partners are hosting a congressional briefing this week to discuss promising results from a Military HIV Research Program’s (MHRP)-sponsored trial to develop a safe and effective HIV vaccine.

Yesterday, at an event hosted by ONE and (RED) to commemorate World AIDS Day, President Obama declared the beginning of the end of AIDS: “Today is a remarkable day. Today, we come together, as a global community, across continents, faiths and cultures, to renew our commitment to ending the AIDS pandemic –once and for all.”

As we commemorate World AIDS Day 2011, I am both encouraged by the recent discoveries that are improving and prolonging lives and reminded of the challenges that remain in our battle to defeat this terrible disease.

December 1 marks the commemoration of World AIDS Day—a day to reflect on an epidemic that has affected millions of lives worldwide for three decades now and how far we’ve come towards an end. This year’s focus and theme is a right on target: “Leading with Science, United for Action.”

Aarthi Rao is a senior program associate at the Center for Global Health R&D Policy Assessment of the Results for Development Institute. This post shares some of the main findings of the Center's recent report, "R&D Tax Credits: A Tool to Advance Global Health Technologies?"

A comprehensive four-year project to boost kala-azar elimination strategies in India and Bangladesh, where the concentration of disease burden is among the world's highest, was launched by an international consortium formed last month to support the countries' control and elimination strategies.

The past three years have been historic in the number of breakthroughs in research to prevent, diagnose, and treat HIV and AIDS.

R!A, in partnership with Aeras, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, the International Partnership for Microbicides and OneWorld Health, hosted a Capitol Hill briefing Nov. 15 on the role of product development partnerships (PDPs) in global health R&D.

One of the most overlooked benefits of US-funded global health research is the training provided to scientists to do the work in their own communities.

Jamie Rosen is the media & communications manager for Aeras, a GHTC member. Aeras and the TuBerculosis Vaccine Initiative (TBVI) recently hosted a booth at the Union World Conference on Lung Health to hear from conference attendees about the need for a new TB vaccine. This blog post reflects what Aeras heard and experienced at the conference.

Mitchell Warren, the executive director of AVAC and a founding member of GHTC, wrote the following op-ed in reaction to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s speech at the National Institutes of Health and her announcement to prioritize achieving an AIDS-free generation. This op-ed originally appeared in The Hill’s “Congress Blog” this week.

The most recent WHO TB Control report noted that rates of TB declined this past year for the first time in decades. However, even with such progress, TB remains one of the most devastating global health crises today, with ripple effects that extend beyond health to cripple prosperity and development of regions overwhelmed by the disease.

After Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s speech at the NIH earlier this week, GHTC asked our member organizations involved in HIV and AIDS why the US should continue to prioritize HIV and AIDS research.

In this regular feature on Breakthroughs, we highlight some of the most interesting reads in global health research from the past week.

GHTC Senior Policy Associate Ashley Bennett blogs about a recent interview on The Colbert Report on infectious diseases, and how research can help us prepare for what’s ahead.