Our Story
In 2008, Dr. Sudhir Paul, a chemical immunologist from the University of Texas at Houston, announced his discovery of a novel way to destroy HIV.
That same year, Zachary Barnett, Founder and Executive Director of Abzyme Research Foundation (ARF), was diagnosed as HIV positive.
Barnett founded the Abzyme Research Foundation as a non-profit organization in 2011 to advance the creation of an effective and low cost therapeutic HIV vaccine and potential cure for AIDS.
In 2014, the Abzyme Research Foundation successfully completed a Pre-Investigational New Drug (IND) filling and meeting with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the guidance of Dr. Ellen Cooper. The pre-IND meeting was successful and the FDA made suggestions that can readily be implemented once funding is secured.
Our immediate goal is to raise the funds needed to commercially manufacture the vaccine to FDA standards and to gain FDA approval for a human clinical trial. To assist in meeting our fundraising targets, we have partnered with celebrity ambassadors, including Academy Award® winner Julianne Moore, Grammy nominated singer/songwriter Sia, actress Zoe Saldana, Greater Than AIDS, YouTube, and Broadway Cares, among others.
ARF’s #endHIV Campaign continues to use the arts to raise awareness around why a vaccine is so essential, and how our work is so valuable to the public.
