IAVI’s Research and Development department works with scientists around the world to design and clinically assess candidate AIDS vaccines. It has two arms: the Vaccine Design Program and the Vaccine Development Program.
The Vaccine Design Program oversees the design and preclinical evaluation of candidate vaccines against HIV, as well as research on HIV and its interactions with the immune system. Professionals with experience in both industrial and academic settings lead the program, bringing with them not only scientific expertise but also a command of commercial portfolio and project management practices. IAVI’s vaccine design efforts are supported by three state-of-the-art IAVI laboratories.
Researchers at these labs also manage three international research consortia, each of which addresses a critical challenge in AIDS vaccine design. The Program has direct access to a trove of clinical data on HIV collected by partnering research centers located in areas of the developing world where HIV incidence is highest. Finally, IAVI has set up an Innovation Fund to encourage the application of novel technologies to AIDS vaccine design.
The Vaccine Development Program oversees the evaluation of candidate AIDS vaccines in clinical trials and participates in epidemiological research on HIV conducted by collaborating research centers. Staffed by researchers who have experience in project management, regulatory affairs, vaccine manufacturing, quality assurance and medical affairs, the program collaborates with research centers around the world to design clinical trials, obtain regulatory approval for them and conduct them at the highest ethical and scientific standards. The program has supported several early stage clinical trials of candidate AIDS vaccines on three continents, most notably Africa. The Human Immunology Laboratory also plays a central role in this work, developing assays, storing data generated by collaborating research centers and standardizing all procedures and practices employed by the network of laboratories supported by IAVI. Its researchers work closely with the medical affairs team at IAVI to help build the physical and professional capacity of collaborating research centers in developing countries.