NIH and Institut Pasteur Extend Collaboration
Agreement for HIV-1 Diagnostics
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, and Institut Pasteur (IP),
a private non-profit foundation, announced today an agreement to
extend their long-standing collaboration in health research and
the management of inventions arising from this research. These
two institutions have been leaders and collaborators in the field
of HIV/AIDS research for more than 20 years. The extended agreement
will initially facilitate the patenting and licensing of a large
portfolio of intellectual property held by NIH and IP in the field
of HIV-1 diagnostics. Additional long term public health benefits
are expected as the agreement provides a new framework for further
support and encouragement of collaborative research in a variety
of areas by leading scientists at both the NIH and IP.
HIV diagnostics are important to maintaining the safety of the
blood supply through donor screening and by providing early diagnosis
and monitoring of HIV infection so that patients may benefit from
early treatment regimens. To date, effective HIV-1 diagnostic test
kits based upon technology licensed from IP and NIH have been distributed
worldwide by many companies, thus saving millions of lives. As
the science of understanding the HIV-1 virus has progressed, new
technologies arising from the laboratories of IP and NIH and subsequently
developed by diagnostics companies now allow these tests to be
provided with increased sensitivity and specificity but at a lower
cost.
“This agreement, which ensures the continuation of the productive
partnership enjoyed by NIH and the Institute Pasteur, can only
ultimately benefit public health,” remarked Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni,
Director of the NIH.
Dr. Alice Dautry, President of Institut Pasteur, echoed these
sentiments in noting that “through this agreement Institut Pasteur
and NIH reinforce their collaboration to benefit public health
in the field of AIDS-HIV infection.”
According to the latest figures published today in the UNAIDS/WHO
2006 AIDS Epidemic Update, an estimated 39.5 million people are
living with HIV. There were 4.3 million new infections in 2006
with 2.8 million (65 percent) of these occurring in sub-Saharan
Africa and important increases in Eastern Europe and Central Asia,
where there are some indications that infection rates have risen
by more than 50 percent since 2004. In 2006, 2.9 million people
died of AIDS-related illnesses.
Institut Pasteur, a private non-profit foundation, is dedicated
to the prevention and treatment of diseases through research, education
and public health activities. A large part of Institut Pasteur’s
research activities are devoted to infectious diseases with important
efforts on AIDS research. Since it was set up, Institut Pasteur
has played a major role in combating diseases such as rabies, plague,
diphtheria, tetanus, typhus, tuberculosis, hepatitis B and AIDS.
Institut Pasteur is the heart of an International Network made
up of 30 institutes spread over the five continents and bringing
together 9,500 people. For more information, see www.pasteur.fr.
The Office of the Director, the central office location of the
NIH Office of Technology Transfer, is responsible for setting policy
for NIH, which includes 27 Institutes and Centers. This involves
planning, managing, and coordinating the programs and activities
of all NIH components. The Office of the Director also includes
program offices which are responsible for stimulating specific
areas of research throughout NIH. Additional information is available
at http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) The Nation's
Medical Research Agency is comprised of 27 Institutes
and Centers and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health
and Human Services. It is the primary Federal agency for conducting
and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research,
and investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common
and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs,
visit www.nih.gov. |