Question: what has been the toughest reasearch yet

Robert Ives answered on 25 Feb 2020:

The most challenging (and most frustrating) work is trying to develop medicines for diseases which have no cure. In the early part of my career, I spent much time researching HIV and AIDS. At the time, there were no treatments available for people with these diseases and most people died within only a few years. Within less than 20 years, AIDS has already become the third biggest killer in history (only malaria and the flu have killed more people). There were lots of times where the medical industry thought they had found a cure, but time and again, the medicines failed to work. This can be really frustrating for everyone. Fortunately, all of that work has led to some amazing medicines that can treat people with HIV so that they can live long and normal lives. It is the toughest research that often ends up being the most rewarding both for you (the scientist) and people in general, and that’s why I love science