Since the HIV/AIDS epidemic began more than 30 years ago, over 70 million people have contracted HIV, according to the World Health Organization.

In the past few decades, the global health community has made great strides in HIV/AIDS prevention by increasing awareness and understanding of the virus and how it is spread. And though there is still no cure, various life-saving treatments have been developed.

But what if people could be protected against HIV the same way they are protected against other communicable diseases like polio or malaria — with a vaccine.

That’s the reality Johnson & Johnson and its partners are working toward.

In collaboration with the the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, National Institutes of Health and others, Johnson & Johnson has begun the first efficacy trial of an investigational mosaic HIV-1 preventive vaccine, a monumental step on the path to creating a vaccine accessible to all.