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May 2008
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Leading researchers form collaborative for
the acceleration of HIV vaccine development
Two global research organizations dedicated to designing a vaccine against HIV – The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and the Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI) – signed a collaborative work agreement in April.
Both will work together to address major biological questions that have slowed the development of a safe, effective, and affordable AIDS vaccine, according to a joint press released issued April 15. Each partner has agreed to contribute unique resources and will pool samples and technology in an effort to accelerate the HIV vaccine development.
“The HIV vaccine puzzle is a scientific challenge that can be solved only through fundamental and applied research, collaboration and transparency,” Barton Haynes, MD, CHAVI director and professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center, said in a press release. “The work that will be done by IAVI, CHAVI and their networks of partners will rapidly enhance our understanding of HIV and help lay the groundwork for new vaccine approaches.”
Numerous HIV vaccine candidates have reached early phase trials, but only two have been fully tested in efficacy trials. Neither has been found effective in preventing HIV infection or lowering viral load in patients who subsequently acquired HIV.
“We are committed to the discovery of an effective vaccine, particularly for the regions hardest hit by the epidemic,” said Wayne Koff, MD, senior vice president of research and development at IAVI. “We are hoping that the synergy of shared investigation will yield insight into novel solutions that will advance AIDS vaccine discovery.”
The shared CHAVI/IAVI research mission will focus on four key areas that will help to inform the design of new and improved vaccine candidates. The areas include identification and full-length sequencing of newly-transmitted viruses, clarifying the effect of human genetics on the control of HIV infection, collaborative immunological studies that could shed light on increased HIV progression to AIDS in certain people and the development of standardized methods to sample tissues from mucosal surfaces in the body where HIV initially establishes infection.
Investigators supported by both organizations are especially interested in further understanding the processes of the earliest postinfection stages of HIV infection, specifically within T cell response.
One collaborative goal is to identify genetic variations linked to the strength of the immune system at the site of initial infection. Through sharing samples, reagents, databases and laboratories and by launching parallel studies, CHAVI and IAVI officials hope to speed up discovery in the critical, early stage of HIV.
Minnesota Department of Health
reports gradual increase in new HIV patients
New cases of HIV infection in Minnesota reached 325 in 2007, compared with 318 cases in 2006 and 304 cases in 2005, according to a report released by the Minnesota Department of Heath.
The department began tracking AIDS in 1982 and HIV in 1985. Since then, 8,504 cases of HIV/AIDS have been reported, including 2,912 people who died from HIV/AIDS. An estimated 5,950 people living in Minnesota are aware of their positive HIV status.
On average, a new case of HIV was reported to the Minnesota Department of Health every 27 hours in 2007. The state has averaged approximately 300 new HIV infections in each of the past five years.
“We haven’t seen the annual number of cases reach more than 320 since the mid-1990s,” said Peter Carr, director of the STD and HIV Section of the Minnesota Department of Health. “Our annual number of reported cases declined in the late 1990s until 2001, when we began to see a slight but steady increase in the yearly number of cases.”
New HIV cases in men and boys aged 13 to 24 years have doubled since 2001. In 2001, 18 new cases were reported in this age group compared with 38 cases in 2007. New HIV infections also increased among black men and boys — 36 cases in 2006 compared with 54 cases in 2007.
International Labour Organization notes
improvement in workplace attitudes toward people with HIV/AIDS
A significant increase in supportive attitudes at the workplace toward coworkers living with HIV and greater acceptance of condoms and other preventive measures are being registered around the world as a result of effective HIV policies and practice, according to a recent report by the International Labour Office.
The new report “Saving lives, Protecting jobs” was prepared by the International Labour Office (ILO) Programme on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work. It was presented April 14 to the U.S. Department of Labor, ILO’s funding partner in the Strategic HIV/AIDS Responses in Enterprises (SHARE) project.
Overall, 16 of the 24 countries in which SHARE has implemented projects have adopted national tripartite policy or declarations on HIV in the workplace.
In the report, authors summarize ILO activities in SHARE, which is currently active in more than 650 workplaces in 24 countries, covering nearly 1 million workers. Changes in attitude about HIV are tracked in the report, which includes a series of good practice advice and data collected from workplaces, ministries of labor, and employee and worker organizations.
During the past four years, ILO has gathered data from workers in six countries to measure the effect of HIV/AIDS activities and nondiscrimination polices. Workers in Belize, Benin, Cambodia, Ghana, Guyana and Togo all demonstrated marked improvement in attitudes toward people living with HIV.
In Ghana, the percentage of people who reported having supportive attitudes toward coworkers living with HIV increased from 33% to 63%. In all six countries, the proportion of workers who reported supportive behavior toward coworkers with HIV increased.
Attitudes toward condom use also improved in most countries. In Cambodia, the proportion of workers who reported having positive attitudes about condom use increased from 34% to 68%. The percentage of workers who reported using condoms with nonregular partners rose from 74% to 84% across six countries.
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