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-- Award funds innovative projects in HIV research led by early-career researchers --

HONG KONG, Nov. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced the recipients of its first Asia HIV Research Scholar Program ("Program"). The Program awards up to US$130,000 over a period of two years to support innovative HIV scientific research led by early-career researchers from academic institutions in Asia.

"We are pleased to bring the Program to Asia to foster innovation in HIV to address clinical challenges faced by this region. At Gilead, we believe in supporting the brightest minds, especially early career scientists, as they bring new and local perspectives to push science forward for the communities we serve," said Dr Kuan-Yeh Lee, Director of HIV Medical Affairs, Asia, Gilead Sciences. "The recipients of the HIV research scholar program have shown ingenuity with exciting projects that can potentially break ground in HIV."

The Program is designed to support basic and clinical research in the field of HIV in areas that include, but are not limited to: HIV treatment and management, HIV prevention, HIV and its complications in specific populations (aging population, women, particular racial groups, etc.) as well as translational research related to HIV. It has received competitive submissions from junior faculty researchers from across Mainland China, Hong Kong/Macau, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, two of which emerged as winners of the Program:

Takayuki Chikata, PhD, from Kumamoto University, Joint Research Center for Human Retrovirus Infection (Japan), who will focus on identifying and characterizing immune responses among individuals exposed yet tested seronegative to HIV-1, contributing to the development of highly effective vaccines to HIV-1 infection; and
Yi-Chia Huang, MD, from "National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Branch" (Taiwan), who will be investigating the key immunological profiles that correlate with and may predict serological responses to HBV revaccination among people living with HIV, a population known to be with lower immunogenicity against HBV vaccination.

The Asia HIV Research Scholars Program is part of Gilead's global Research Scholars Program that was launched in 2008 with a mission to support innovative research from emerging investigators around the world to advance scientific knowledge in areas of unmet need as well as their career development. All research scholars are selected by an independent panel of scientists who are experts in their field and can retain independence over their projects. To date, the Research Scholars Program has awarded US$29 million to more than 200 scholars around the world across multiple disease areas.

About Gilead Sciences, Inc.

Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a research-based biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes innovative medicines in areas of unmet medical need. The company strives to transform and simplify care for people with life-threatening illnesses around the world. Gilead has operations in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California. For more information on Gilead Sciences, please visit the company's website at www.gilead.com.

About the Gilead Sciences Research Scholars Programs

The Gilead Sciences Research Scholars Programs provide financial support to junior faculty researchers for a two-year period. Each award is funded up to US$130,000, to be paid in annual instalments of up to US$65,000 per year for two years. Funding for the second year is contingent upon submission of a progress report and approval by the Scientific Review Committee Chair. Recipients of these competitive awards are selected by Committees comprised of leaders in the fields of rheumatology, cardiovascular disease, cystic fibrosis, hematology/oncology, HIV, and liver disease. For more information please visit https://researchscholars.gilead.com/

For more information on Gilead Sciences, please visit the company's website at www.gilead.com or follow Gilead on Twitter (@GileadSciences).