Bill Gates hints at billions of dollars for HIV vaccine

This article is more than 24 years old.

Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft and the richest man in the world, has

hinted that he will commit more money to HIV vaccine research in the next few

years. Gates gave £16 million to the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative

Glossary

lymphocyte

A type of white blood cell that is important in the immune system. Includes B cells (B lymphocytes, which produce circulating antibodies) and T cells (T lymphocytes, which are responsible for cell-mediated immunity).

deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

The material in the nucleus of a cell where genetic information is stored.

cytotoxic

Harmful to cells.

earlier this year to support research projects. In an interview with The Sunday

Times last week, Bill Gates Snr, who administers the William H Gates Foundation

for his son, said that a major new programme would be announced within months.

He went on to reveal that Gates plans to donate virtually all of his $65 billion

fortune before he dies to programmes which combat global disease and improve

access to education.

Read the full story at

href="http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/99/08/01/stifgnusa01012.html?999">http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/99/08/01/stifgnusa01012.html?999

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Such sums are likely to be needed if a

successful HIV vaccine is to be developed and made available. Read about the

scientific challenges in our section on preventive vaccine research:

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href="http://www.aidsmap.com/heading3.asp?heading2=Preventive+vaccines&newBrowse=true">http://www.aidsmap.com/heading3.asp?heading2=Preventive+vaccines&newBrowse=true

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Merck & Co, the world's largest vaccine

manufacturer, is due to begin trials of a naked DNA vaccine designed to

stimulate strong cytotoxic lymphocyte responses. This approach is thought to be

one of the most promising avenues for HIV vaccine research, and Merck's human

study will provide rapid information on the likely success of the approach.

Unlike anti-retroviral studies which initially took years to prove the value of

combination therapy, early human vaccine studies will be relatively rapid

affairs, because their objective is to show whether the vaccines produce immune

responses. Later studies will take much longer to complete, because they must

show that the vaccine provides long-term protection.

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Find out more about the lobby for vaccine

research at http://www.iavi.org, the website

of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.