The Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise and the OCTAVE Project are organizing a workshop to explore immunological concepts relevant to the analysis of the large-scale HIV vaccine efficacy trial, RV144, which showed modest protection against HIV in humans. This workshop will be held as part of the AAVP annual meeting in Kampala, Uganda on 16 December 2009. For more information, please see the attached document.

Researchers, funders policy makers and advocates from around the world gathered in Paris for today’s opening of AIDS Vaccine 2009, the world’s leading scientific conference on AIDS vaccine research.

The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) announced today that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ragon Institute to accelerate the development of new and promising AIDS vaccine candidates for testing

Results of the Thai HIV vaccine clinical trial of the “prime-boost” combination of ALVAC-HIV vaccine and AIDSVAC B/E vaccine demonstrate that a safe and effective AIDS vaccine is an achievable goal. For more information, please see the Enterprise statement below.

The minutes from the September 17 and 18 meeting of the Host Genetics and HIV Diversity Working Group can be found below. Recommendations from this working group will comprise a portion of the 2010 Scientific Strategic Plan for HIV vaccine development.

Researchers at and associated with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), at The Scripps Research Institute, and at the biotechnology companies Theraclone Sciences and Monogram Biosciences have discovered two powerful new antibodies to HIV that reveal what may be an Achilles heel on the virus.

Dianne Stewart, former head of Board and Donor relations at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, has joined the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) as Vice President of Resource Development. In her role at IAVI, Ms. Stewart will provide leadership for the organization’s fundraising strategy focused on both the public and private sectors. For more information, please see the press release below.

The OCTAVE Project -- Online Collaborative Training for AIDS Vaccine Evaluation -- is organizing a workshop on October 18 and 19 at AIDS Vaccine 2009 that focuses on analysis and assays of antibodies in HIV Vaccine Research. The workshop will blend novel eLearning exercises in advance of an interactive, face-to-face 1.5 day workshop for early stage investigators selected to participate.

The NIAID seeks outstanding candidates for the newly created position of chief of the Vaccine Discovery Branch in the Vaccine Research Program of the Division of AIDS (DAIDS). The selected individual will serve as a Health Scientist Administrator (Branch Chief) with responsibility for planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating an extramural program of grants and contracts in basic HIV vaccine discovery research.

For more information, please visit the link below.

The minutes from the July 6 meeting of the YECI Committee can be found below.