NIAID Collaborates with VaxGen on Vaccine Studies
As part of its broad-based HIV/AIDS vaccine research efforts, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) will collaborate with VaxGen, Inc., in research projects to be done in conjunction with the company’s current Phase III AIDS vaccine studies.
The collaboration will entail research – in addition to that currently called for in VaxGen’s trial plans – on immune responses induced by AIDSVAX, as well as use of AIDSVAX in combination with other vaccines currently being studied by NIAID. Additional joint research aimed toward creating formulations of AIDSVAX for viruses prevalent in developing nations is also under discussion.
"The effort to develop a safe and effective vaccine against HIV/AIDS is a global imperative and the highest priority of the NIH AIDS research program," says Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., NIAID director. "We expect this collaboration with VaxGen to take us closer to our mutual goal."
In June, VaxGen began its trial of AIDSVAX. AIDSVAX has been shown to be safe and to stimulate antibody production. The three-year study is the first large-scale trial of an HIV preventive vaccine and will involve 5,000 volunteers at about 40 clinical sites in North America. VaxGen is sponsoring these trials and anticipates conducting additional Phase III studies in Thailand.
NIAID is also studying other vaccine designs aimed at stimulating different components of the immune system. These activities are part of NIAID’s ongoing efforts to determine systematically the effects of immunization and the potential for different approaches to prevent HIV disease.
VaxGen, Inc., based in South San Francisco, Calif., is a biotechnology company committed to making an HIV vaccine for worldwide use.
NIAID is a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIAID conducts and supports research to prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as HIV disease and other sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, malaria, asthma and allergies. NIH is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Press releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the Internet via the NIAID home page at http://www.niaid.nih.gov.
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