April 16, 2008

Global Unity for HIV Vaccine

Recent failures in HIV vaccine research—such as Merck & Co.’s halted trial last year—have led researchers from the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and the Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI) at Duke University to form a worldwide collaboration to boost vaccine development, North Carolina newspaper The News & Observer reports (newsobserver.com 4/16).

The article says that the collaboration, announced April 15, will pool both groups’ expertise, experience and resources. It will focus on better understanding HIV’s genetic sequence, how certain genetic factors control infection and why some people living with the virus do not become ill.

“Solving the HIV vaccine puzzle is a scientific challenge that can only be solved through fundamental and applied research, collaboration and transparency,” said Dr. Barton Haynes, CHAVI director and professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center. “The work that will be done by IAVI, CHAVI and their networks of partners will rapidly enhance our understanding of HIV and help lay the groundwork for new vaccine approaches.”

Search: vaccine trials, Duke University, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative

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