About the Last Gift Study

UC San Diego’s Last Gift is a research study committed to understanding the behavior of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in the human body. This study aims to identify where HIV hides in an individual who is terminally ill. It is intended for those who live in San Diego County, and are willing to provide consent to regular blood draws and tissue donation at the time of death.

The Last Gift study is especially unique because it offers scientists the rare opportunity to learn invaluable information from organs such as the brain, which is not possible to study with living individuals.

The Impact of Tissue Donation Through the Last Gift Study

Donating tissues at the time of death provides a pathway to a deeper understanding of HIV in the human body – and gets us one step closer to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic for all.

A Last Gift participant’s legacy will live on and be accessible to researchers for many years after death. Because participants are gracious enough to give back to science at the end of their lives, their efforts are considered their Last Gift to the world.

Our Commitment to Diversity in Research

The Last Gift team recognizes that, when it comes to HIV, one cure may not fit all. To ensure people of all walks of life benefit from innovation in HIV research and improved quality of care, we are staunchly committed to enrolling individuals into the Last Gift study who are diverse with respect to race, ethnicity, sex/gender, sexual orientation, and age. Because diversity in research isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s the right thing for research.