International AIDS Vaccine Initiative
Encyclopedia
The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (known as IAVI) is a global not-for-profit
, public-private partnership
working to accelerate the development of vaccines to prevent HIV
infection and AIDS
. IAVI researches and develops vaccine candidates, conducts policy analyses, serves as an advocate for the field and engages communities in the trial process and AIDS vaccine education. The organization takes a comprehensive approach to HIV and AIDS that supports existing HIV prevention and treatment programs while emphasizing the need for new AIDS prevention tools. It also works to ensure that future vaccines will be accessible to all who need them. The organization has offices in Africa
, Europe
, India
and the United States
.
convened an international meeting of AIDS researchers, vaccinologists, public health officials, and representatives from philanthropic organizations in Bellagio, Italy, to evaluate the challenges facing HIV/AIDS vaccine development and identify ways to jump-start research. Concluding that there was a gap in existing vaccine development efforts – particularly in applied vaccine development and in coordinated international scientific activities and funding strategies – participants called for a new type of organization to accelerate the development of an AIDS vaccine. These meetings resulted in the establishment of IAVI in 1996, as an international non-governmental organization
tasked with aggressively pursuing previously neglected approaches to AIDS vaccine development.
The organization also has provided resources to translational research to fill roles traditionally played by the biotechnology or biopharmaceutical companies. IAVI conducts translational research at its AIDS Vaccine Design and Development Laboratory in New York City, its Neutralizing Antibody Center at The Scripps Research Institute
in La Jolla, California, and its Human Immunology Laboratory at Imperial College London
in London, England. In the past 15 years, IAVI and its network of partners have translated innovative technologies into 17 vaccine candidates, nine of which have entered human trials in 11 countries.
IAVI publishes a range of materials on topics related to AIDS vaccine development. In July 2010, the organization published "Progress on the path toward an AIDS vaccine," which examines recent progress in HIV vaccine development. The bimonthly IAVI Report and VAX track the latest news in vaccine development and related topics, and offer an online database of all AIDS vaccine trials, also available through IAVI’s website.
The organization also documents policy-related topics, including vaccine research and development expenditures, future spending needs, vaccine demand forecasting, incentives to increase industry participation in vaccine discovery, and health and economic impacts. IAVI has focused on communicating the need for an AIDS vaccine in recent years at the G8 forum, the United Nations General Assembly
meetings on AIDS, the UN Millennium Development Goals
, and regional and global AIDS conferences.
The organization also partners with individuals and organizations in developing countries to conduct epidemiological studies, social-science research, educational initiatives, voluntary counseling and testing consultations and capacity-building to ensure transparent and effective clinical trial processes. Partners include the Kenya AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Rwanda’s Project San Francisco, the Uganda Virus Research Institute, the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Zambia–Emory HIV Research Project. In some countries where IAVI is not sponsoring clinical studies, the organization works with partners to support AIDS vaccine research and advocacy efforts.
IAVI also partners with other organizations to analyze how improved public policies could help to accelerate AIDS vaccine R&D and ensure rapid global access to a future vaccine. As part of the organization’s advocacy in developing countries, IAVI supports the India-Brazil-South Africa trilateral agreement as a vehicle for spurring cooperation in vaccine development among countries with growing biomedical research
and manufacturing capabilities. The organization is a founding member of the Global AIDS Vaccine Enterprise, an alliance of independent organizations working towards an HIV vaccine. It is also a member of the Global Health Technologies Coalition, an alliance of more than 30 non-profit groups that aims to increase awareness of the urgent need for technologies that save lives in developing countries.
, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health
, The John D. Evans Foundation, the New York Community Trust
, the James B. Pendleton Charitable Trust, the Rockefeller Foundation
, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
; the governments of Canada
, Denmark
, Ireland
, the Netherlands
, Norway
, Spain
, Sweden
, the United Kingdom
, the United States, the Basque Autonomous Government, and the European Union
; multilateral organizations such as the World Bank
; corporate donors including BD (Becton, Dickinson & Co.), Bristol-Myers Squibb
, Continental Airlines
, Google Inc., Henry Schein, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc. and Pfizer Inc; AIDS charities such as Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
and Until There’s A Cure Foundation; other private donors such as The Haas Trusts; and many individuals from around the world.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
, public-private partnership
Public-private partnership
Public–private partnership describes a government service or private business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies...
working to accelerate the development of vaccines to prevent HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
infection and AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. IAVI researches and develops vaccine candidates, conducts policy analyses, serves as an advocate for the field and engages communities in the trial process and AIDS vaccine education. The organization takes a comprehensive approach to HIV and AIDS that supports existing HIV prevention and treatment programs while emphasizing the need for new AIDS prevention tools. It also works to ensure that future vaccines will be accessible to all who need them. The organization has offices in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
In 1994, the Rockefeller FoundationRockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
convened an international meeting of AIDS researchers, vaccinologists, public health officials, and representatives from philanthropic organizations in Bellagio, Italy, to evaluate the challenges facing HIV/AIDS vaccine development and identify ways to jump-start research. Concluding that there was a gap in existing vaccine development efforts – particularly in applied vaccine development and in coordinated international scientific activities and funding strategies – participants called for a new type of organization to accelerate the development of an AIDS vaccine. These meetings resulted in the establishment of IAVI in 1996, as an international non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
tasked with aggressively pursuing previously neglected approaches to AIDS vaccine development.
Activities
IAVI’s scientific team, drawn largely from private industry, researches and develops AIDS vaccine candidates and engages in clinical trials and research through partnerships with more than 50 academic, biotechnology, pharmaceutical and governmental institutions. A major portion of the organization’s activities occur in developing countries, where 95 percent of new HIV infections occur. IAVI sponsors AIDS vaccine trials in collaboration with local scientists primarily in Africa and India, where subtypes of HIV different from that common in North America circulate.The organization also has provided resources to translational research to fill roles traditionally played by the biotechnology or biopharmaceutical companies. IAVI conducts translational research at its AIDS Vaccine Design and Development Laboratory in New York City, its Neutralizing Antibody Center at The Scripps Research Institute
The Scripps Research Institute
The Scripps Research Institute is an American medical research facility that focuses on research in the basic biomedical sciences. Headquartered in La Jolla, California, with a sister facility in Jupiter, Florida, the institute is home to 3,000 scientists, technicians, graduate students, and...
in La Jolla, California, and its Human Immunology Laboratory at Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
in London, England. In the past 15 years, IAVI and its network of partners have translated innovative technologies into 17 vaccine candidates, nine of which have entered human trials in 11 countries.
IAVI publishes a range of materials on topics related to AIDS vaccine development. In July 2010, the organization published "Progress on the path toward an AIDS vaccine," which examines recent progress in HIV vaccine development. The bimonthly IAVI Report and VAX track the latest news in vaccine development and related topics, and offer an online database of all AIDS vaccine trials, also available through IAVI’s website.
The organization also documents policy-related topics, including vaccine research and development expenditures, future spending needs, vaccine demand forecasting, incentives to increase industry participation in vaccine discovery, and health and economic impacts. IAVI has focused on communicating the need for an AIDS vaccine in recent years at the G8 forum, the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
meetings on AIDS, the UN Millennium Development Goals
Millennium Development Goals
The Millennium Development Goals are eight international development goals that all 193 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015...
, and regional and global AIDS conferences.
Partnerships
To address major obstacles in AIDS vaccine development, IAVI partners with HIV researchers from around the world in AIDS vaccine consortia. Foremost is the Neutralizing Antibody Consortium, a network dedicated to discovering and understanding broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV and using that knowledge in the design of vaccines. The Vectors Consortium pursues novel delivery vehicles – called viral vectors – that have been identified as promising for their potential use in HIV vaccines but have not been adequately pursued to date. These include viruses that can multiply in the body to generate a stronger immune response, but do not cause disease. IAVI also operates the Innovation Fund – a financing mechanism established jointly with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – which seeks out and supports using new technologies to solve major issues hampering AIDS vaccine development.The organization also partners with individuals and organizations in developing countries to conduct epidemiological studies, social-science research, educational initiatives, voluntary counseling and testing consultations and capacity-building to ensure transparent and effective clinical trial processes. Partners include the Kenya AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Rwanda’s Project San Francisco, the Uganda Virus Research Institute, the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Zambia–Emory HIV Research Project. In some countries where IAVI is not sponsoring clinical studies, the organization works with partners to support AIDS vaccine research and advocacy efforts.
IAVI also partners with other organizations to analyze how improved public policies could help to accelerate AIDS vaccine R&D and ensure rapid global access to a future vaccine. As part of the organization’s advocacy in developing countries, IAVI supports the India-Brazil-South Africa trilateral agreement as a vehicle for spurring cooperation in vaccine development among countries with growing biomedical research
Biomedical research
Biomedical research , in general simply known as medical research, is the basic research, applied research, or translational research conducted to aid and support the body of knowledge in the field of medicine...
and manufacturing capabilities. The organization is a founding member of the Global AIDS Vaccine Enterprise, an alliance of independent organizations working towards an HIV vaccine. It is also a member of the Global Health Technologies Coalition, an alliance of more than 30 non-profit groups that aims to increase awareness of the urgent need for technologies that save lives in developing countries.
Discoveries
In September 2009, a global group of researchers led by IAVI published a study in the journal Science identifying PG9 and PG16, two highly powerful broadly neutralizing antibodies against a wide variety of HIV variants. The site on the virus to which PG9 and PG16 attach revealed a vulnerability on HIV. Researchers are looking to exploit these findings in the design of new AIDS vaccine candidates. PG9 and PG16 were the first new broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV discovered in more than a decade and are the result of a global effort launched in 2006.Donors
IAVI’s donors include the Alfred P. Sloan FoundationAlfred P. Sloan Foundation
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a philanthropic non-profit organization in the United States. It was established in 1934 by Alfred P. Sloan, Jr., then-President and Chief Executive Officer of General Motors.-Overview:...
, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. It is "driven by the interests and passions of the Gates family"...
, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
, The John D. Evans Foundation, the New York Community Trust
New York Community Trust
The New York Community Trust was founded in 1924 to distribute the income from charitable funds established by will to improve the quality of life in New York City. It also offers services to living donors. It is one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the United States, and...
, the James B. Pendleton Charitable Trust, the Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation is a private foundation, established by Hewlett-Packard cofounder William Reddington Hewlett and his wife Flora Lamson Hewlett in 1967. The Hewlett Foundation awards grants to support educational and cultural institutions and to advance certain social and...
; the governments of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the United States, the Basque Autonomous Government, and the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
; multilateral organizations such as the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
; corporate donors including BD (Becton, Dickinson & Co.), Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers Squibb , often referred to as BMS, is a pharmaceutical company, headquartered in New York City. The company was formed in 1989, following the merger of its predecessors Bristol-Myers and the Squibb Corporation...
, Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
, Google Inc., Henry Schein, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc. and Pfizer Inc; AIDS charities such as Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is the theatre community’s response to the AIDS crisis. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the theatre community, on Broadway, Off-Broadway and across the country, BC/EFA raises funds for AIDS-related causes across the United States...
and Until There’s A Cure Foundation; other private donors such as The Haas Trusts; and many individuals from around the world.
See also
- HIV vaccineHIV vaccineAn HIV vaccine that protects vaccinated individuals from HIV infection is the goal of many HIV research programmes. Currently, there is no effective vaccine against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS...
- Seth BerkleySeth BerkleySeth Franklin Berkley, M.D. is a medical epidemiologist by training. He is the CEO of the GAVI Alliance and a global advocate on the power of vaccines. He is also the founder and former President and CEO of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative ....
- Clinical Trials
- Advance market commitmentsAdvance market commitmentsAn advance market commitment is a binding contract, typically offered by a government or other financial entity, used to guarantee a viable market if a vaccine or other medicine is successfully developed. As a result of such a commitment, the market for vaccines or drugs for neglected diseases...