The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) is a global

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

, public-private partnership working to accelerate the development of

vaccines A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious or malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verified.

to prevent HIV infection and

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ma ...

. IAVI researches and develops vaccine candidates, conducts policy analyses, serves as an advocate for the

HIV prevention HIV prevention refers to practices that aim to prevent the spread of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV prevention practices may be undertaken by individuals to protect their own health and the health of those in their community, or may ...

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.Berkley, Seth. (2006). Ending an epidemic: the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative pioneers a public-private partnership. ''Innovations'', Vol. 1, No. 1. 52–66.

History

In 1994, the

Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropy, philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, aft ...

convened an international meeting of AIDS researchers, vaccinologists, public health officials, and representatives from philanthropic organizations in

Bellagio, Italy Bellagio (; lmo, label=Comasco, Belàs ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region of Lombardy. It is located on Lake Como, also known by its Latin-derived name ''Lario'', whose arms form an inverted Y. The t ...

, to evaluate the challenges facing HIV/AIDS vaccine development and identify ways to jump-start research.Holtzman, J. (2009). International Aids Vaccine Initiative. ''TechImpact @ Yale'', 3(1), 1-2. The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative was founded in 1996 by

epidemiologist Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evid ...

Seth Berkeley with the mission of accelerating the development and global distribution of preventative AIDS vaccines.

Activities

IAVI's scientific team, drawn largely from private industry, researches and develops AIDS vaccine candidates and engages in

clinical trials Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, dieta ...

and

research Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness ...

through partnerships with more than 100 academic,

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used ...

, pharmaceutical and governmental institutions. In September 2009, a global group of researchers led by IAVI published a study in the journal ''

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...

'' identifying PG9 and PG16, two highly powerful broadly

neutralizing antibodies A neutralizing antibody (NAb) is an antibody that defends a cell from a pathogen or infectious particle by neutralizing any effect it has biologically. Neutralization renders the particle no longer infectious or pathogenic. Neutralizing antibod ...

against a wide variety of HIV variants.Cohen, Jon (2009). Potent Antibodies Spark Vaccine Hopes. ''Science'', Vol. 325. no. 5945, p. 1195 The site on the virus to which PG9 and PG16 attach revealed a vulnerability on HIV.Two New Antibodies Found to Cripple HIV
" Theraclone Sciences news release. Sept. 3, 2009. 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.Phogat, Sanjay.
Antibody Discoveries Latest Advance in AIDS Vaccine Research Renaissance
" ''Global Health Magazine'' blog. July 17, 2010.

Partnerships

To address major obstacles in AIDS vaccine development, IAVI partners with HIV researchers from around the world. Its Neutralizing Antibody Center is a network dedicated to discovering and understanding broadly neutralizing

antibodies An antibody (Ab), also known as an immunoglobulin (Ig), is a large, Y-shaped protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects such as pathogenic bacteria and viruses. The antibody recognizes a unique molecule of ...

against HIV and using that knowledge in the design of vaccines. IAVI is a founding member of the

Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise The Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise (the Enterprise) is an alliance of organizations formed to accelerate the search for an HIV vaccine. Initially proposed in Science magazine in 2003 and developed by scientists, health experts and policy makers, t ...

, an alliance of independent organizations working towards an AIDS vaccine. It also partners with

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.developing countries A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreem ...

.Global Health Technologies Coalition
website. Retrieved Aug. 3, 2010

Donors

IAVI's work is funded by donors including: the

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was ...

, the

Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is a foundation that takes donations from public, private, philanthropic, and civil society organisations, to finance independent research projects to develop vaccines against emerging ...

, the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark ( da, Udenrigsministeriet, fo, Uttanríkismálaráðið, kl, Nunanut Allanut Ministereqarfik) and its overseas representations (the Danish embassies, diplomatic missions, consulates and trade offices) ...

Irish Aid , logo = File:Irish Aid logo.jpg , picture = File:Ministry for Foreign Affairs (Ireland).jpg , picture_caption = Iveagh House in Dublin, DFA headquarters , agency_type = , logo_caption = , company_type = , formed = ...

, the Ministry of Finance of Japan in partnership with

The World Bank The World Bank Group (WBG) is a family of five international organizations that make leveraged loans to developing countries. It is the largest and best-known development bank in the world and an observer at the United Nations Development Gr ...

, the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands The Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( nl, link=no, Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken; BZ) is the Netherlands' ministry responsible for foreign relations, foreign policy, international development, international trade, diaspora and matters dealing wi ...

, the United Kingdom Department for International Development, and the

United States Agency for International Development The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 b ...

(USAID).

References

External links

*
Seth Berkley: HIV and flu -- the vaccine strategy - TED 2010
{{authority control HIV/AIDS research organisations Vaccination-related organizations Organizations established in 1996 HIV vaccine research International organizations based in the United States

History

Activities

Partnerships

Donors

See also

References

External links