IHV In the News
IHV RESEARCHERS RECEIVE $15 MILLION GRANT FROM BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION
July 31, 2007 -- Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley announced that the
University of Maryland has received a $15 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation. The funding will be used to support research to further develop a promising
HIV/AIDS vaccine candidate created by IHV that, in early studies, has shown potential to
provide broad protection against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
The $15 million, five-year grant is part of the Gates Foundation’s Collaboration
for AIDS Vaccine Discovery, an international network of research consortia focused on
accelerating the pace of HIV vaccine development. The announcement came during a
news conference at State House in Annapolis.
“This grant reinforces what Marylanders have long known: that our state is a
world leader in biotechnology, and more importantly, a leader in finding a vaccine that
can help the thousands of people affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic,” Governor
O’Malley said. “I want to thank the Gates Foundation for funding this research, and Dr.
Gallo for his important work to help us make AIDS a thing of the past.”
“Our ultimate goal is a vaccine that will prevent HIV transmission. In early
studies, this vaccine has already demonstrated that it has promise to produce an immune
system response to various HIV strains. We are very happy that the Gates Foundation is
supporting our efforts,” says IHV Director Robert C. Gallo, M.D., who co-discovered
HIV and developed the first HIV blood test.
“This grant will allow us to further test and develop this promising vaccine
candidate. I want to acknowledge the superb work by IHV’s Tony DeVico, Ph.D., and
George Lewis, Ph.D., which has brought us this far on the vaccine,” said Gallo.
HIV’s ability to mutate rapidly into numerous strains has long frustrated efforts
by the medical research community to develop an effective vaccine. Previous attempts by
others to develop a vaccine have been unsuccessful because they were unable to stop a
broad range of HIV strains. IHV scientists are encouraged by their potential vaccine, and
the Gates Foundation grant will allow IHV scientists to conduct further studies on their
vaccine so that they can understand better how the vaccine works against HIV.
"I am extremely pleased that the extraordinary research underway at IHV
continues to be recognized and supported," says William E. Kirwan, Ph.D., chancellor of
the University System of Maryland. "We are deeply grateful to the Gates Foundation for
this generous grant and we laud Bob Gallo and IHV for their strong commitment to
resolving some of society's most difficult medical issues."
“The School of Medicine congratulates the Institute of Human Virology on this
strong vote of support from the Gates Foundation,” says E. Albert Reece, M.D., Ph.D.,
M.B.A., vice president for medical affairs, University of Maryland and dean of the
School of Medicine. “This prestigious grant again underscores how the Institute
continues to fulfill its mission of turning cutting-edge research into real benefits for
people in need.”
“This grant will support a marvelous public-private partnership between the
Institute of Human Virology, its spin-off biotech company Profectus BioSciences and
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals,” says Jennie Hunter-Cevera, Ph.D., president of UMBI. The
vaccine technology has been licensed from UMBI by Wyeth through Profectus
BioSciences. Gallo added that he is also encouraged by the collaboration formed by IHV
with Profectus BioSciences and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
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