The NIH NIAID Vaccine Research Center is dedicated to developing
a vaccine that can help control the global HIV epidemic. We
are assisted in these studies by volunteers from the community.
The vaccine studies are approved by the U.S. FDA, the NIAID
Institutional Review Board (IRB), the NIH Institutional Biosafety
Committee, several other scientific review committees and
a Community Advisory Board. Volunteers are extensively educated
and counseled before entering a trial on the principles that
underlie the development of candidate vaccines, and are fully
informed about the potential risks and benefits of participating
in clinical trials.
Our goal when engaging the public in presentations,
advertisements, or other forms of publicity is to inform and
educate people about the scope of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, how
vaccines work, and how vaccines are developed. We consider
the relationship between VRC scientists, clinicians, and volunteers
from the community to be a partnership and collaboration.
Advertisements are used by the Vaccine Research
Center as a means to educate the local community about the
global nature of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and to encourage voluntary
participation in clinical studies vital to developing a successful
vaccine. The advertisements used by the VRC are broad in scope
and do not intend to single out any single nation or target
population at risk. Rather, they encourage altruistic behavior
to help stem the global HIV/AIDS epidemic anywhere on the
globe.
Our volunteers are extraordinary people who graciously
volunteer their time, and work closely with us to find a solution
to the global AIDS crisis. They are people who care not only
about themselves and their immediate families, but about people
in all parts of the world. The VRC advertisements are used
locally in the Washington, D.C. area, and appeal to these
altruistic persons who genuinely want to help find a vaccine
that can help control the global HIV epidemic. They demonstrate
that all humanity has a common interest in finding a solution
to HIV/AIDS, and that we all must work together to be successful.
If you are interested in volunteering to participate
in a clinical trial, please call us at 1-866-833-LIFE (5433)
or or e-mail us at VRCforlife@mail.nih.gov.
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