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Enterprise Satellite Session at AIDS 2008 Conference in Mexico City – August 3, 2008
Please join us on Sunday, August 3 at the AIDS 2008 Conference in Mexico City for a roundtable discussion with leaders in HIV vaccine research to discuss an important issue facing the field: how to attract and retain the next generation of investigators. Please see the flyer for more information.
Enterprise Satellite Session Flyer
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NIAID Announces that PAVE 100 Vaccine Trial Will Not Move Forward – July 17, 2008
On July 17, 2008, the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) announced that it will not move forward with the PAVE 100 HIV vaccine clinical trial as originally proposed. NIAID will instead consider a smaller, more focused trial with a smaller number of volunteers, and will restrict its analysis to the effect of the vaccine candidate on HIV viral load. Please see the below links for a statement from Enterprise Executive Director Alan Bernstein, the NIAID press release, and a New York Times story about the announcement quoting Dr. Antony Fauci of NIAID and Dr. Bernstein.
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Message from Alan Bernstein
As he concludes his first few months as Executive Director of the Enterprise, Dr. Bernstein would like to update everyone on Enterprise activities, reflect upon recent developments in the field, and identify some initial priorities for the organization over the coming year. Click the link below for his update.
Message from Alan Bernstein
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Enterprise Statement to Commemorate HIV Vaccine Awareness Day - May 18, 2008
May 18 marks HIV Vaccine Awareness Day – a day to recognize the need for a safe and effective HIV vaccine and to express gratitude to the thousands of volunteers, communities, and health professionals across the globe working to make this dream a reality. With dedication, renewed commitment and global collaboration, HIV/AIDS will be defeated. While no one can put a timeline on success, the world looks forward to a time when this day will commemorate the discovery of a successful HIV vaccine.
Click here to read full Enterprise statement
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Editorial by Dr. Bernstein featured in May 9, 2008 edition of Science
“Later this month, researchers will gather at the Institut Pasteur in Paris to mark the quarter century since human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was discovered as the cause of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Since then, over 60 million people have been infected with the virus and over 25 million people have died. These numbers make the results of two "proof of concept" vaccine efficacy trials--the STEP and Phambili trials--extremely disappointing. Indeed, these results have raised questions about whether investments in HIV vaccine research are misplaced and whether a vaccine is even achievable. Those views are misguided. The failure of candidate vaccines or drugs is to be expected. More than ever, investigations in humans are essential to explore concepts, test hypotheses, and delineate the human immune response to HIV immunogens.”
Read full text of Dr Bernstein’s Science editorial here
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NIAID Seeks Research Ideas for Funding Initiatives in Vaccine Discovery and HIV Prevention by May 20, 2008:
“The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is seeking broad input to spur new ideas and approaches in the areas of vaccine discovery research and HIV prevention research through two new "Requests for Information"--a comment-gathering tool used by NIH to create defined, funded initiatives in targeted areas of research. NIAID is accepting input on both RFIs until May 20, 2008.”
Read the full announcement from NIAID here
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Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative—Funding Opportunity
An "Invitation to Submit Applications" for a pilot scale HIV vaccine manufacturing facility in Canada for clinical trial lots is being released today. The Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative (CHVI) is a collaboration between the Government of Canada and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with the overall goal to coordinate Canadian and international efforts to support the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise.
Visit the CHVI website http://www.chvi-icvv.gc.ca/new-eng.html for guidelines and forms related to this funding opportunity.
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NIAID Bulletin
The US NIH’s NIAID releases an update concerning the HVTN 503/Phambili HIV vaccine study in South Africa. In October 2007, NIAID and the HIV Vaccine Trials Network stopped immunizations and enrollment in the HVTN 503 (“Phambili”) study. The following document provides information on the interim data concerning enrollment and the number of HIV infections in the Phambili study.
NIAID Bulletin
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The Swiss Institute for Vaccine Research, a new initiative aligned with the scientific strategic plan of the Enterprise is launched December 5, 2007 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
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A summary report from the Enterprise workshop titled “Antibody-Based HIV-1 Vaccine: Recent Developments and Future Directions,” is published in the December 2007 edition of PLoS Medicine.
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Update on the STEP and Phambili studies of a Merck vaccine candidate
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Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise Names Alan Bernstein as Inaugural Executive Director, Opens New Secretariat.
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Merck and the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) announce discontinuation of vaccinations and enrollment for the STEP study after an interim analysis showed the vaccine was not effective.
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The AIDS Vaccine 2007 conference takes place August 20-23 in Seattle, Washington
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The AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) releases its 2007 report, entitled “Resetting the Clock”
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A study conducted by the US NIH's Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI) has yielded a new understanding of why some people can suppress virus levels following HIV infection.
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Canada's Government and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have committed major new funding to support the Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative.
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The European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launch a 20 M Euro call to develop HIV vaccine trial capacity in Africa.