5/14/2008

HIV Vaccine Awareness Day Sends Message About Need for Redoubled Efforts

Washington, D.C.—The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is marking the 11th annual HIV Vaccine Awareness Day on May 18 with a call for renewed commitment to the search for a vaccine, and particularly one that is safe and effective for use in children. A vaccine could potentially eradicate HIV/AIDS across the globe. A world leader in the fight against pediatric AIDS, the Foundation recently announced it has awarded five grants totaling $1 million to researchers conducting studies to support the development of a pediatric HIV vaccine. The five awards are the first from the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation’s Pediatric HIV Vaccine Research Program.

“While we’ve made great strides in recent years in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV, we need to continue to expand those efforts. A vaccine would transform the battle against the pandemic,” said Pamela W. Barnes, president and CEO of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. “Specifically, an HIV vaccine that could be given to infants and young children would provide us with a tool to all but vanquish HIV/AIDS, just as the smallpox and polio vaccines transformed the global fights against those deadly diseases. Realistically, we cannot treat our way out of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. We must defeat it once and for all, and that will almost certainly require a vaccine.”

In order to develop a vaccine that will be safe for pediatric use, the Foundation has worked to focus resources and attention on the critical need to better understand how HIV uniquely affects infants and children. Children are particularly vulnerable to HIV, with most contracting the virus from their mothers in the womb, at birth, or during breast-feeding. While much progress has been made over the past decade to improve prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV in the womb and at birth, there is still no proven way to protect babies from contracting HIV through breast milk. A vaccine would represent a significant breakthrough in addressing this prevention gap and further protecting infants around the world from the virus.

“Although recent trials of HIV candidate vaccines in adults produced disappointing results, the quest for a vaccine must continue,” Barnes said. “Our challenge now is to learn as much as we can from the recent vaccine trials, and then put that knowledge to work in the next round of research. Of course, we need to make sure that vaccine research includes a focus on pediatric HIV/AIDS, because vaccinating children has been the key to tackling the world’s deadliest epidemics in the past, and likely will be again. For example, a vaccine that protected infants against HIV transmission through breast-feeding could set the stage for lifetime immunity. A successful vaccine could potentially give millions of children life-long protection, and make them part of the first HIV-free generation. ”

The five Pediatric HIV Vaccine Research Program awardees, announced in April, are Dr. Marylyn Addo of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University; Dr. Grace Aldrovandi of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the University of Southern California; Dr. Dan Barouch of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at Harvard University; Dr. Ed Janoff of the University of Colorado Health Science Center; and Dr. Shan Lu of the University of Massachusetts. (See news release.) Their grants marked the first round of awards, with more expected in the future.

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About the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is a worldwide leader in the fight against pediatric AIDS. Its innovative research programs, collaborative training initiatives, advocacy efforts, and rapidly expanding international prevention and treatment programs are bringing dramatic changes to the lives of children worldwide.