-- Advancing progress on neutralizing antibodies: Virtually all licensed
vaccines for other diseases are believed to work by causing the immune
system to produce neutralizing antibodies that bind to vulnerable
regions on the infection-causing agent. One research consortium will
isolate a large number of antibodies from humans and animals, screen
them for the ability to neutralize HIV, and "work backwards" from the
best antibodies to design new vaccine candidates. (Lead investigator:
Robin Weiss, University College London)
-- Using computational biology to create novel vaccine designs: One
research consortium will use state-of-the-art computer design
techniques to create synthetic molecules to trigger antibodies against
HIV. To help provide the massive computing power necessary for this
project, the consortium will partner with the Rosetta@home project,
which allows individuals around the world to donate their personal
computer's idle time to run research calculations over the Internet.
(Lead investigator: Leo Stamatatos, Seattle Biomedical Research
Institute)
-- Addressing challenges in eliciting cellular immunity: An effective HIV
vaccine may also need to elicit cellular, or T-cell, immunity. One
potential approach for eliciting cellular immunity is to modify other
viruses so they carry pieces of HIV capable of inducing an immune
response (but not capable of causing disease). One research consortium
will focus on a number of novel vectors, or "carrier" viruses, that
have been identified as promising for an HIV vaccine but have never
been tested in clinical trials. (Lead investigator: Timothy Zamb,
International AIDS Vaccine Initiative)
-- Improving vectors that elicit cellular immunity: The use of poxviruses
as vaccine vectors is supported by extensive pre-clinical and clinical
experience, and one of the projects will try to significantly improve
the ability of poxvirus vectors to stimulate cellular immune
responses. The consortium will focus on making improvements to three
poxvirus vectors that have been used in HIV vaccines, including a
modified version of the vaccinia virus that was successfully used to
eradicate smallpox. (Lead investigator: Giuseppe Pantaleo, Centre
Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois)
-- Harnessing dendritic cells: The immune system's dendritic cells are
believed to play an important role in enhancing both cellular immunity
and neutralizing antibodies. One research consortium will design
vaccine candidates with molecules that bind to the surface of
dendritic cells, and study the use of chemicals called glycolipids,
which activate immune cells that stimulate dendritic cells.
(Lead investigator: David Ho, Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center)
-- Standardizing and improving laboratory tests: Laboratory tests used to
assess vaccine candidates are often not comparable due to variations
in techniques and materials, severely hampering decisions about which
candidates to pursue for further testing. One grant will establish an
international network of laboratories to standardize procedures for
evaluating neutralizing antibody responses elicited by HIV vaccine
candidates. (Lead investigator: David Montefiori, Duke University,
The Rockefeller University)
In total, the 16 grants support more than 165 investigators in 19 countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Cameroon, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Japan, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Uganda, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Zambia.
Grants Address Key Research Gaps Identified by Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise; Additional Funding Still Needed
The Gates Foundation grants help address research priorities identified by the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, an alliance of researchers, funders, and advocates from academia, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and private industry in developing and developed countries dedicated to implementing a shared scientific plan to accelerate HIV vaccine development. The Enterprise's scientific plan prioritizes vaccine discovery and laboratory standardization as two of the top issues facing the vaccine field.
The foundation grants complement other contributions in support of the Enterprise scientific plan, including:
-- Switzerland: The Government of Switzerland has pledged to support the
establishment of a vaccine institute in Lausanne that will contribute
to the implementation of the Enterprise scientific plan.
-- Germany: The Fraunhofer Society and the Ministry of Economic Affairs
of Saarland in Germany have committed a total of US$1.7 million to
support the Enterprise scientific plan.
-- U.S.: Last year the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases (NIAID) pledged more than US$300 million to support the
Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI), which is addressing
other priorities in the Enterprise plan.
Yet resources for HIV vaccine development still fall significantly short of need. According to an analysis co-sponsored by the AVAC, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, UNAIDS, and other groups, an estimated US$682 million is spent annually on HIV vaccine development, while fully implementing the Enterprise scientific plan would require nearly double this amount - an estimated US$1.2 billion annually.
"The Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise provides a forum for researchers and donors to work together on one of the most important challenges of our time," said Dr. Mark Walport, director of the Wellcome Trust and a member of the Enterprise Coordinating Committee. "By clearly identifying funding gaps, the Enterprise is helping donors ensure that resources are used most effectively."
Other priorities in the Enterprise scientific plan include developing improved vaccine manufacturing processes, establishing greater clinical trials capacity in developing countries, improving regulatory capacity for approving clinical trials and assessing trial results, and developing intellectual property arrangements that facilitate global access to new technologies.
"As researchers make progress in designing promising new vaccine candidates, it is essential that sufficient capacity is in place to manufacture these vaccines, test them in clinical trials, and conduct timely reviews of the results," said Dr. Barton Haynes, professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center who is principal investigator of NIAID's CHAVI, and also the lead investigator on one of the Gates Foundation grants announced today. "The grants funded by the Gates Foundation will complement the efforts of CHAVI."
About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to reduce inequities and improve lives around the world. In developing countries, it focuses on improving health, reducing extreme poverty, and increasing access to technology in public libraries. In the United States, the foundation seeks to ensure that all people have access to a great education and to technology in public libraries. In its local region, it focuses on improving the lives of low-income families. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by Chief Executive Patty Stonesifer and Co-Chairs William H. Gates Sr., Bill Gates, and Melinda French Gates.
On the Internet: http://www.gatesfoundation.org
http://www.hivvaccineenterprise.org
+1--206-709-3400, media@gatesfoundation.org
