The story of gold is the story of human progress.

Gold is more than just a timeless, beautiful store of value. It plays a critical and evolving role in technology and healthcare. Its individual applications are often hidden away, invisible to the human eye, but in each case gold is used because no other material can do the same job as reliably or efficiently.

One such area of application is the diagnostic and therapeutic uses of gold in the fight against life threatening disease. Nanoparticles of gold are used in the billions of lateral flow tests manufactured annually to detect illnesses including Covid-19, malaria and HIV. Cheap, quick and reliable, these tests save lives in regions where laboratory tests are logistically difficult or too expensive.

Beyond disease detection, gold-based drugs have been used as safe and effective therapeutics for rheumatoid arthritis and are currently under investigation as potential treatments for diseases like cancer and HIV.

Many of the countries most affected by HIV are locations where gold mining plays a key role in society. In 2023, 630,000 people died from HIV related illnesses. At the end of December 2023, around 30 million people were accessing antiretroviral therapy, but still short of the 34 million target for 2025¹. By the end of 2023, ~40 million people were living with HIV².

The World Gold Council and its members, made up of large-scale responsible gold mining companies, develop, support and invest in a wide range of programs and causes to advance society. Funding from the global gold industry ensures that organisations like amfAR can continue to drive medical research forwards so that disease is identified and combatted faster.

1. www.unaids.org
2. www.who.int