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About the only thing researchers knew about AIDS in 1981 was that it had unusual symptoms and seemed common among gay men.

Today, 25 years later, not only do they better understand the causes of AIDS and the significance of HIV, scientists have also created treatments and generated prevention methods.

In honor of the contributions to the success in the research and treatment of the disease since the first case of AIDS was reported 25 years ago, the UCLA AIDS Institute is holding a variety of workshops and events today.

When the institute was started in 1992, there was still very little known about what caused AIDS and how to cure it, said Thomas Coates, an associate director of the UCLA AIDS Institute.

“Being gay myself, news of AIDS was frightening because we knew nothing about it,” Coates said.

Nor did doctors and researchers have any idea of the impact AIDS would have today, said Ronald Mitsuyasu, associate director of the UCLA AIDS Institute and director of the UCLA Center for Clinical AIDS Research and Education.

“The speed at which it grew and the extent of its spread (were) beyond expectation,” Mitsuyasu said. “Our goal at the time was just to discover how HIV causes AIDS and to find treatment methods.”

The UCLA AIDS Institute started with a group of researchers and doctors interested in the never-before-seen condition.

It became a means of combining different disciplines such as research, clinical work and social science to find cures, understand prevention and reduce stigma, Mitsuyasu said.

“The institute is an umbrella organization to draw public focus at UCLA,” Mitsuyasu said. “It’s a coordinating body that brings together individual researchers in different areas.”

Some major advancements have been the development of preventative measures to reduce mother-to-child AIDS transmission; the finding that HIV occurs less often in circumcised males and other advances in the treatment of HIV. The institute also works to reduce the stigma associated with HIV.

In addition to developments in the U.S., the UCLA AIDS Institute has also provided resources to countries all over the world, including China, Peru, Uganda and India.

“The difference between the U.S. and other countries is that AIDS is very concentrated in a specific area in the U.S. while it is generalized among the population in South Africa,” Coates said.

The future of AIDS research is hopeful. With enough investment, the next 10 years may yield significant results, specifically in treatment through gene therapy and stem cells, vaccine concepts and training for faculty members, Coates said.

Last week, world leaders met at the United Nations to further discuss how to fight the virus over the next 10 years. A recent U.N. report found that 40 million people worldwide are living with HIV/AIDS and that 8,000 die every day.

The report also said that while the spread of the disease has slowed, there is still much to be done. More women and girls have HIV than ever and many still lack the drugs they need.

“The epidemic continues to outpace us,” U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said. “Last year, globally, there were more new infections than ever before, and more people died than ever before.”

On top of providing treatment and educating others about AIDS, experts say it is also important to deal with the social aspects of the disease.

“People delay treatment because they’re afraid that others will judge them,” Coates said. “Cancer was once stigmatized as well, but now it has become a norm. The same thing should happen for AIDS.”

Though the UCLA AIDS Institute has made significant progress toward the elimination of AIDS, there is still much to be done in terms of finding a definitive cure, Mitsuyasu said.

“Whether our goal to eradicate AIDS is feasible or not, we need to change behaviors and gain support to continue research until we find a cure,” Mitsuyasu said.

With reports from Bruin wire services.The UCLA AIDS Institute will be hosting “25 Years of Caring” at Covel Commons today from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.