IAVI recognized early on that in order to develop an AIDS vaccine for use throughout the world, it would have to build partnerships and bolster capacity to conduct vaccine trials at the highest technical and ethical standards in developing countries, where the need for an AIDS vaccine is greatest. Since 1998, we have collaborated with research institutions in India and in five countries in sub-Saharan Africa to test AIDS vaccine candidates at the highest of ethical and scientific standards.

Today, a network of independent but interconnected research centers in six countries powers IAVI’s vaccine development program. Our approach emphasizes building local capacity by training local researchers and developing the infrastructure required to conduct vaccine trials, and clinical HIV studies that describe the epidemic and lay the groundwork for future vaccine efficacy trials.

Investigators within this network collaborate with scientific consortia, such as the Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology, to define the immune responses and other factors that determine the risk of HIV infection and that limit progression of the infection to AIDS. These investigators also work with the Neutralizing Antibody Consortium to seek out individuals who, infected with HIV, make broadly neutralizing antibodies against the virus.

IAVI’s researchers collaborate closely with the scientists at these centers, sharing leadership and designing studies jointly. We help the institutions develop their scientific and clinical capacity in a variety of ways, including:

• Equipping and constructing labs and training personnel to process, test, store and ship tens of thousands of blood samples from vaccine trials and clinical studies
   
• Training and collaborating with the best local technicians and scientists, and helping network laboratories earn Good Clinical Laboratory Practice (GCLP) accreditation
   
• Supporting the cultivation in research center staff of technical skills, like data management and laboratory testing
   
• Training clinical staff in Good Clinical Practices and safety in management of clinical specimens
   
• Supporting the development of systems for internal quality assurance for HIV counseling, community consultation, management of gender-related issues and effective referrals for medical treatment not provided at the centers
   
• Building information technology infrastructure for communications and data management
   
• Strengthening administrative and accounting systems to support the centers

The network has assessed a handful of candidate AIDS vaccines in clinical trials, including the first such vaccine candidate devised specifically for Africa. Another three vaccine candidates, two of them in combination, are currently undergoing testing in IAVI-supported trials

Scientists and physicians in the network conduct clinical, epidemiological and behavioral research on HIV infection as well. Their studies seek to:

• Understand the early stages of HIV infection and how the immune system responds to it
   
• Characterize the immune responses of a small number of people who are resistant to infection 
   
• Study patterns of HIV transmission, such as the risk factors for infection and the nature of the virus
   
• Identify ways to efficiently recruit volunteers and maintain enrollment in clinical trials and research studies

IAVI’s Human Immunology Lab in London coordinates the laboratory network, monitoring the standardization of methods and reagents and the quality of data generated by all participating laboratories.

To learn more about our in-country partnerships and clinical trial network in India, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, India, the UK and the US click here.