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News
release
30 May 2006
SAAVI announces new funding allocations for AIDS vaccine research and development in South Africa
The South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative (SAAVI) is pleased to announce its new funding grants for the period 2006 to 2009. SAAVI is an initiative of the South African government, and a lead programme of the Medical Research Council. Founded in 1999 by Eskom, the Department of Health, and the Department of Science and Technology, SAAVI seeks to co-ordinate the research, development and testing of HIV vaccines in South Africa in order to arrive at an effective, safe, affordable and locally relevant AIDS vaccine in as short a time as possible. In this third round of three-year funding, grants have been awarded, via a competitive and internationally peer-reviewed evaluation mechanism, to programmes investigating innovative new approaches to vaccine design as well as to the development of clinical infrastructure in which to undertake clinical trials. The number of principal investigators receiving funding grants has increased to 22; with a dramatic increase in the proportion of black and of female investigators. Furthermore funding has been allocated to developing clinical infrastructure in historically disadvantaged institutions and in rural areas, with the number of clinical trial sites doubling from 3 to 6 encompassing 6 of the 9 provinces of South Africa. Finally, the community and behavioural science components of the research programme have been strengthened as SAAVI moves quickly to phase II and III clinical trials of HIV vaccines with large numbers of participants over the next few years.
SAAVI works and collaborates with key national and international partners, and has both an internal research and development arm aimed at investigating and developing novel candidate vaccines, as well as extensive and widespread clinical infrastructure for testing both our own and vaccines developed internationally. It is anticipated that a number of test vaccines will go into phase II and perhaps larger-scale efficacy trials in the next five years. It is also hoped that the first South African-developed test vaccines will go into phase I trials soon; and that local manufacture of HIV vaccines will be established in South Africa within the next few years.
The new projects that are now receiving funding include:
| Principal Investigator |
Institution |
Project |
Category Basic Science |
Prof. Girish Kotwal |
University of Cape Town |
The development of a novel single-vaccination, live-attenuated poxvirus based vaccine against HIV |
Prof. Debra Meyer |
University of Johannesburg |
Synthetic HIV-1 envelope based immunogens as vaccine components able to elicit broadly cross-neutralising antibody responses |
Dr Jo-Ann Passmore |
University of Cape Town |
Characterisation of mucosal and peripheral blood T cell responses in the control of HIV infection |
Dr Photini Kiepiela |
Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine |
Definition of optimal immunogens for a protective HIV clade C virus vaccine |
Prof. Caroline Tiemessen |
National Institute for Communicable Diseases |
The role of chemokines CCL3/CC13-L1 in protective immunity and as adjuvants promoting immune responses to HIV-1 |
Prof. S. P. Songca |
University of Limpopo |
The role of chemokines CCL3/CC13-L1 in protective immunity and as adjuvants promoting immune responses to HIV-1 |
Prof. M. J. Mphahlele |
University of Limpopo |
HIV-1 diversity and vaccine immunogen design |
Category: Clinical Trials |
Prof. Jimmy Chandia |
Walter Sisulu University |
Early development of clinical trial site |
Dr Koleka Mlisana |
CAPRISA |
Establishment of a clinical trial site |
Dr Maposhane Nchabeleng |
MEDUNSA |
Establishment of a clinical trial site |
Dr Eftyhia Vardas |
PHRU, University of the Witwatersrand |
Early development of a clinical trial site at Agincourt |
Category: Community |
Prof. Priscilla Reddy |
MRC |
Gaining an understanding on the determinants of community-based vaccine trial participation behaviour: developing and testing a health education intervention using a randomised control trial |
Projects receiving continued funding include:
| Principal Investigator |
Institution |
Project |
Category Basic Science |
Prof. Anna-Lise Williamson |
University of Cape Town |
Development of candidate HIV-1 subtype C vaccines for southern Africa |
Prof. Carolyn Williamson |
University of Cape Town |
HIV-1 diversity and vaccine immunogen design |
Prof. Lynn Morris |
National Research Institute for Communicable Diseases |
Development of envelope HIV vaccine candidates: neutralising antibody studies and development of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies |
Prof. Clive Gray |
National Institute for Communicable Diseases |
Understanding correlates of protection through analysis of HIV-specific T cell immune functions: development of novel immunogenicity markers |
Category: Ethics, Community |
Prof. Graham Lindegger |
University of KwaZulu-Natal |
Strengthening ethical priority areas for South African HIV vaccine trials |
Prof. Leslie Swartz |
University of Stellenbosch |
Evaluating community interventions for community preparedness in HIV vaccines: towards best practice |
Category: Clinical trials |
Prof. Glenda Gray |
Perinatal HIV Research Unit, Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, University of the Witwatersrand |
Clinical trial unit for HIV vaccine trials |
Dr Linda-Gail Bekker |
University of Cape Town |
Clinical trial unit for HIV vaccine trials |
Prof. Gavin Churchyard |
Aurum Institute for Health Research |
Clinical trial unit for HIV vaccine trials |
SAAVI has therefore opened trial sites in Durban and northwest of Pretoria (Ga-Rankuwa, Mabopane, Shoshanguve, Winterveld) and is doing early preparatory work to develop sites in Mthatha and Agincourt in the Bushbuckridge area of Limpopo Province.
Continued and expanded funding has also been granted to existing SAAVI-funded clinical trial sites in Cape Town, Gauteng and the North West Province; to vaccine developers at the University of Cape Town; to ethics researchers at the University of KwaZulu-Natal; and, to behavioural science work at the University of Stellenbosch. SAAVI’s broad-ranging activities in community involvement and human rights work will also be expanded.
“This is an extremely important time for AIDS vaccine development in South Africa and internationally,” says Prof. MBewu, MRC President, “more promising candidates are becoming available for trials and South Africa has the infrastructure and expertise to participate in such endeavours and aid in the search for a successful vaccine against HIV/AIDS. SAAVI’s expanded portfolio of work, including the incorporation of new, black and mainly female clinicians and researchers will enable us to meet this challenge and also expand our capacity into the future in this vital field. SAAVI has grown and developed into possibly the finest HIV vaccine research and development programme in a developing country.”
For further details, contact:
SAAVI
Ms Elise Levendal, SAAVI Interim Director
Tel: +27 (0) 21 938 0826, e-mail: elise.levendal@mrc.ac.za
Michelle Galloway, Media and Communications Manager
Tel: +27 (0) 21 938 0205, 082 553 1149, e-mail: michelle.galloway@mrc.ac.za
SAAVI Vaccine Info-line 080 VACCINE
www.saavi.org.za
MRC
Prof. Anthony MBewu, MRC President
Tel: +27 (0) 21 938 0211
Julian Jacobs, MRC Media Manager
Tel: +27 (0) 21 938 0241, e-mail: julian.jacobs@mrc.ac.za
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