It is with deep sadness that we pass along news of the sudden death of our friend, mentor, and Scientific Advisory Board member, Prof. Mark Wainberg. Mark was one of the earliest supporters of Aldatu and our efforts to bring PANDAA to patients, and for that he will always have our gratitude. His passing represents a tremendous loss for not only our company, but the entire HIV community. Our hearts and thoughts are with his family and colleagues today.

As a world-renowned HIV/AIDS researcher specializing in HIV drug resistance, Mark made innumerable contributions to the field that spanned over three decades. His work has been instrumental in helping to identify many of the mutations in the HIV genome responsible for drug resistance.

A true international leader, Prof. Wainberg became an outspoken advocate for human rights, from denouncing the criminalization of HIV-AIDS, to demanding that affordable treatment should be made equally available to all. He is an indelible fixture in the history and progress of HIV research whose work has touched countless lives, and he will be sorely missed.

Mark was President of the International AIDS Society from 1998 to 2000. He is credited with the discovery of 3TC, one of the earliest antiretroviral drugs for HIV treatment. Mark established the McGill AIDS Centre in 1984 at the Jewish General Hospital, and was Professor of Medicine, and of Microbiology and Immunology at McGill University. Other distinctions included the Order of Canada and the Legion d’honneur, the highest honors for civilians given by Canada and France, respectively.

In 2015, Prof. Wainberg was named to the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame for his contributions to medicine and “for having made the world a better place.”