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The Scripps Research Institute in La
Jolla and Duke University have been awarded a federal grant from the National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for HIV/AIDS vaccine research and
development. The NIAID grant will be used to lead the newly created Centers for
HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology and Immunogen Discovery, or CHAVI-ID.
The first year grant is $31 million,
with $11.1 million going to Scripps; it expects to receive about $77 million
over the life of the grant. According to Carl Diefenbach, director of the
Division of AIDS at NIAID, the size of the grant reflects the National
Institutes of Health’s high expectations for an AIDS vaccine coming from these
institutions.
Multidisciplinary teams at both
institutions will investigate the “broadly neutralizing antibodies” of people
whose immune systems seem to effectively neutralize HIV and try to create a
vaccine that induces the same immune response. In 2009, the Scripps team and
others working with the nonprofit International AIDS Vaccine Initiative
announced they had identified two such antibodies in people, and the IAVI
Neutralizing Antibody Center was established.
Scripps scientist Dennis Burton, who
will lead the new La Jolla center, said the potential to develop a vaccine has
increased with new techniques and a global effort to find people with
HIV-resistant immune systems. However, Burton cautioned that a vaccine is not
imminent, and more basic science needs to be done.
Dr. Barton F. Haynes will lead the
Duke effort, which will take a similar approach as Scripps but also will
explore other areas. Duke will revisit Thailand-based trials that used a
combination of two vaccines and lowered infection rates by about 30 percent.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
