IHV Fact Sheet and Mission

The Institute of Human Virology, founded in 1996, is the first research institute in the United States structured to integrate in a single center basic, population and clinical research coordinated to advance discovery from bench to bedside. The goals of the Institute are to develop new treatments, cures, and ultimately, to prevent the onset of chronic viral diseases.

The Institute's research currently centers on AIDS, but also includes the Hepatitis C virus, herpes viruses and cancer research. An underlying research emphasis is to utilize the natural chemistry of the body to develop biological approaches to therapy and treatment that may be less toxic than drugs currently available for treatment. Because of IHV's unique multi-disciplinary approach, scientists have been able to fast-track research from concept to clinical trial in less than 18 months.

In less than 10 years:

• IHV staff has grown from 50 to more than 200 and the Institute's patient base has grown from just 200 patients to approximately 4,000.

• The IHV's total budget has increased from several million dollars in 1996 to more than $40 million today. There has been a corresponding increase in sponsored research, from $2 million to more than $21 million. Also during this period, the Institute has been awarded 21 patents -- for the development and use of transgenic rats, finding small proteins that kill tumor cells, chemokines that inhibit HIV infection, bacterial delivery systems for DNA vaccines and the development of new immune "boosters" to augment vaccines.

• The IHV has positioned itself as one of the world's premier research and development operations. Its scientists have identified new anti-HIV suppressive factors and have pioneered a novel oral vaccine delivery system that uses attenuated Salmonella bacteria to efficiently deliver vaccine encompassing a greater number of viral genes to stimulate a vaccine response. Basic vaccinologists also have engineered a vaccine construct that generates the broadest HIV-neutralizing antibody responses achieved to date. These technologies offer the potential for a single vaccine that may be effective against a broad range of HIV strains.

• The Institute also has successfully created the first transgenic rat whose DNA incorporates genes of HIV-1, the virus that causes AIDS. This patented creation allows scientists a new way to study mechanisms of the development of AIDS.
  
  
• IHV spearheaded international research/educational outreach efforts. The Institute established vaccine research infrastructure in Trinidad and Tobago and is conducting the first vaccine trial in that country. A vaccine targeting the HIV epidemic in Uganda is poised for field trials. A longstanding research infrastructure in Nigeria is further being developed through a joint initiative with the Harvard School of Public Health, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to gather epidemiological information on, and to implement treatment and intervention programs for those at risk of HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases.
  
  
• The Institute of Human Virology was selected as one of 10 centers worldwide to become one of the HIV Vaccine Trials Units of the NIAID-sponsored HIV Vaccine Trials Network, positioning the Institute to play a major role in accelerating the pace of HIV vaccine development through access to this worldwide network of vaccine testing centers.

• IHV's Clinical Research Program undertakes a broad range of treatment research including a substantial portfolio of sponsored research that increased to about $21 million. This is an indication of the confidence that major pharmaceutical and biotech companies (e.g. Merck, Schering, Aventis, Human Genome Sciences) have in the Institute.

• Among the 4,000 patients currently receiving care through the IHV's Clinical Care Program, 500-700 are uninsured and underinsured, thus serving those at greatest risk and in greatest need. When the Institute was founded, fewer than 800 patients received HIV care and there was a gap in access for underserved minorities that has been filled through extensive community outreach and education efforts of the Institute.

• The Institute's AIDS Education & Conference Center addresses the HIV epidemic throughout the state of Maryland and creates a continuum of training to assist health care workers statewide. Currently, more than 4,000 health care professionals participate in more than 260 programs annually.

• The Institute also hosts an annual international AIDS conference that is consistently highly rated because of its strong basic science emphasis. The meeting draws hundreds of top scientists from around the world and provides a unique forum for scientific exchange. IHV-sponsored conferences have generated more than $5 million in added revenue for the local economy since 1996.

The IHV's Mission:

The Institute of Human Virology was established to create and develop a world-class center of excellence focusing on chronic viral diseases and virally linked cancers. The IHV is dedicated to discovery, research, treatment and prevention of these diseases and cancers. Its unique structure seeks to connect cohesive, multidisciplinary research and clinical programs so that new treatments are streamlined from discovery to patient. The IHV serves patients locally and the scientific community globally.