The Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, the organizer of the annual AIDS Vaccine conference, is accepting applications for Local Host of AIDS Vaccine 2012 to be held in North America. The annual AIDS Vaccine conference is the largest and most important global scientific conference focused on AIDS vaccine research. Interested applicants should review and complete the attached application form and submit to Amapola Manrique (amanrique@vaccineenterprise.org) by March 15, 2010.

The Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) based in Entebbe, Uganda was recommended to host the Secretariat of the African AIDS Vaccine Programme (AAVP), an initiative to support a coordinated international effort to promote the development of and future access to HIV vaccines suitable for use in Africa. The AAVP Secretariat has been based in Geneva, Switzerland since 2000. A transition of AAVP to a fully functional African programme began more than a year ago and should be complete by the first quarter of 2010.

The Microbicides Development Programme announced that its MDP 301 effectiveness trial, which was conducted among almost 9,400 women in four African countries, found no evidence that the PRO 2000 microbicide reduces the risk of HIV infection.

To read the IAVI statement on World AIDS Day, please click the below link.

Alan Bernstein, executive director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise and Jeannette Kagame, First Lady of the Republic of Rwanda and high representative of African AIDS Vaccine Programme, wrote a Guest Column for the special World AIDS Day edition of the Financial Times, which focused on the need for greater global collaboration, investments and more effective partnerships between the North and South. The full column is available below.

A Phase 1 study of a preventive HIV vaccine show that a novel delivery mechanism known as electroporation helped to enhance the immunogenicity of the vaccine tested. Results were presented at the end of October at the AIDS Vaccine Conference in Paris, France. Please see the IAVI and Ichor Medical Systems, Inc. announcement below for more information.

Researchers, funders policy makers and advocates from around the world gathered in Paris for today’s opening of AIDS Vaccine 2009, the world’s leading scientific conference on AIDS vaccine research.

The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) announced today that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ragon Institute to accelerate the development of new and promising AIDS vaccine candidates for testing

Results of the Thai HIV vaccine clinical trial of the “prime-boost” combination of ALVAC-HIV vaccine and AIDSVAC B/E vaccine demonstrate that a safe and effective AIDS vaccine is an achievable goal. For more information, please see the Enterprise statement below.