Substantial new money for HIV vaccine research has been made available by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. A total of $287 million will be disbursed in grants to investigators in 19 different countries. The grants will be known as the Collaboration for AIDS Vaccine Discovery and will be targeted at research priorities identified by the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, a consortium of researchers, funders and advocates working towards the development of an effective HIV vaccine.
Eleven research consortia will receive money from the Gates Foundation to focus on vaccine discovery. Their aim will be to design a vaccine which produces effective neutralising antibodies against HIV; and vaccines that elicit strong and durable cellular immune responses to the virus.
Central research facilities will also be established with the money, including three research laboratories, a research specimen repository, and a centre that will handle all data and statistical management.
“These projects bring a new level of creativity and intensity to bear on major scientific challenges facing HIV vaccine development,” said Dr Nicholas Hellman, the acting Director of the Gates Foundation’s HIV, TB and Reproductive Health Programme.
But far more money is still needed for HIV vaccine research to receive adequate funding, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative recently cautioned – only half the estimated $1.2 billion needed every year is currently available.