FORAFRICAWITHAFRICA THE NEXT GENERATION OF HIVVACCINE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

The USAID Expert Consultation on African HIV Vaccine Researchand Development group met in May 2014 in Nairobi Kenya toexplore sustainable HIV vaccine research in Africa

On behalf of the American people the USAgency for International Development (USAID)and its partners continue their commitment to improve the prevention and treatment of HIVand AIDS while enhancing preparation forfuture epidemics and sustainable developmentUSAIDrsquos investments in enhancing the largerAfrican research environment will allow talentedscientists on the continent to contribute ndash and eventually lead ndash novel HIV vaccine design andtesting With every day bringing 5600 new HIVinfections worldwide that day cannot comesoon enough

IntroductionIn May 2014 USAID convened a group of leading experts for apioneering meeting in Nairobi The USAID Expert Consultationon African HIV Vaccine Research and Development exploredhow to increase scientific contributions and sustainability of HIVvaccine research in Africa by African scientists

Representatives from India Kenya Rwanda South AfricaUganda Zambia the United Kingdom and the United Statescame together to provide candid input and guidance on how tooptimize future investments in African HIV vaccine researchTheir expertise spanned immunology virology biomedicalresearch biostatistics epidemiology HIV prevention AIDS careand treatment community engagement advocacy and capacity building among others topics

While many acknowledged that numerous areas were alreadyworking well for HIV vaccine research in Africa conferenceparticipants also identified a range of barriers to enhancedsuccess and future opportunities The feedback overwhelminglypointed to growing vaccine design technology collaborationscientists and staff with Africa in Africa

Strengthening PartnershipsUSAID looked to its partner the International AIDS VaccineInitiative (IAVI) to build on these valuable insights from theinternational community IAVIrsquos expanded work in Africa andIndia is aimed at increasing involvement of African and Indianscientists in the product development pathway

Accelerating the long-term health and development progress inAfrica is also critical to meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030

ldquoItrsquos well established that gold-standard HIV vaccine trials can beconducted in Africa yet the leadership of the research is rarely African USAID aims to shift this dynamic by encouragingAfrican scientists to play active and equal roles This meansinitiating research that reflects African realities and considerskey regional prioritiesrdquo says USAIDrsquos Margaret McCluskeySenior Advisor for HIV Vaccines Office of HIV amp AIDS (OHA)

Benny Kottiri lead for OHArsquos Research Team adds ldquoGrowingresearch capacity by African researchers versus just doing researchwill ensure the sustainability of these programs Building humantalent on this level has always been a core focus of USAIDrsquos long-term partnership with IAVI focused on developing and introducing anHIV vaccine where the greatest disease burden persists a vaccinethat will be effective for the most vulnerable particularly youngAfrican womenrdquo

A Movement Builds ExcitementThe Africa-India expansion initiatives like the Vaccine ImmunologyScience and Technology for Africa (VISTA) consortium theInternational Training Program and the Network for Africa-IndiaPartnership prepare the ground for the design and assessment of the next generation of HIV vaccine candidates for Africa with Africa

wwwusaidgov

Africa-India InitiativesThe Africa-India initiatives build on more than adecade of collaboration between USAID IAVI and a wide range of diverse partners in 25 countries toresearch design and develop HIV vaccine candidates

New initiatives aim tobull Build more basic immunology and virology capacity

to enable Clinical Research Center (CRC) partnerscontribute to HIV vaccine design

bull Find new ways of working collaboratively across East and Southern Africa by sharing samplesexpertise data and capacity while focusing oncommon scientific goals

bull Train the next generation of investigators throughdegree programs mentorship and South-Southexchanges

bull Provide opportunity for investigator-initiatedresearch through a dedicated research fund

bull Keep the HIV vaccine research agenda focused onthe most vulnerable people through furtherepidemiological research

ldquoIt just makes sense to leverage over a decade of African partnershipbuildingrdquo says Jill Gilmour Executive Director of the IAVI Human Immunology Laboratory (HIL) at Imperial College in London ldquoOurlsquowith Africarsquo programs are catalyzing a momentum now felt by otherfunders and programsrdquo

Designing Better HIV Vaccines in AfricaInitiatives like VISTA whose initial objective is to inform design ofnew vaccines that elicit potent T cells against a broad spectrum ofHIV variants draw on existing capabilities and assets from adiverse network including samples like USAID-supported ProtocolC VISTArsquos network includes the USAID-supported Protocol Cstudy a landmark study that enrolled more than 600 volunteers from Kenya Rwanda South Africa Uganda and Zambia andcollected almost 20000 samples from volunteers at early stages ofHIV infection The evolving program continues to leverage thesepartnerships and samples already yielding unprecedented insightsinto both early HIV transmission and the progression of infectionover time VISTArsquos eight African research partners (see ldquolsquoWithAfricarsquo Initiative Highlightsrdquo) work in tandem with the HIL EmoryUniversity and Indian research institutions including the HIVVaccine Translational Research Laboratory a collaborative effortbetween IAVI and the Indian government

ldquoWith Africardquo Initiative Highlights

13

13

rsquo

ldquoThe case for an increasingly African-centric vaccine designbecomes even stronger for areas like East Africa where we are seeing the most new and genetically diverse sub-typeinfections in the worldrdquo says Eric Hunter Co-Director forBasic and Translational Science Emory Center for AIDSResearch Emory University

A Sustainable Next Generation of AfricanScientific LeadersldquoItrsquos very exciting to be more involved in both upstreamresearch and world class trainingrdquo said Pontiano KaleebuDirector of the Medical Research Council Uganda VirusResearch Institute (MRCUVRI) Unit on AIDS We arebuilding capacity that we can leverage for the overall health of Africardquo

In addition to the VISTA-supported post-doctoral scientiststhe International Training Program provides advanceddegree support to PhD and Masterrsquos degree candidatescompetitively selected from the CRC network ldquoTheseopportunities are attracting western-trained Africanscientists back to Africa to pursue cutting edge HIV vaccineresearchrdquo explained Kundai Chinyenze IAVIrsquos MedicalDirector in Kenya

CRC scientific staff are also building new skills in virology and immunology techniques Once trained they aresupported in transferring those techniques back to their clinical research sites

ldquoThis tremendous expansion of collaborative effort training and research for HIV vaccines in Africa provides a platformto help end [HIV and AIDS] while addressing numerousother challenging infectious diseases across a disease-burdened continentrdquo says William Kilembe Director of the Zambia Emory HIV Research Project in Lusaka Zambia

ldquoItrsquos well established that gold-standard HIV vaccine trials can beconducted in Africa yet theleadership of the research is rarelyAfrican USAID aims to shift thisdynamic by encouraging Africanscientists to play active and equal roles This means initiating researchthat reflects African realities andconsiders key regional prioritiesrdquo

mdashMargaret McCluskey Senior Advisorfor HIV Vaccines Office of HIVAIDS

Meet the Researchers

Gladys Njeri Macharia from the Kenya MedicalResearch Instituterepresents the nextgeneration to lead theAfrican HIV vaccineeffort She recentlycompleted a VISTA-funded training placement at Emory University inAtlanta The networkstechniques andknowledge learned atEmory will benefit herown study whilesupporting the efforts ofmany other HIV vaccineresearchers upon her return to Kenya

Gisele Umviligihozois a LaboratorySupervisor at the RwandaZambia HIV ResearchGroupIAVI site in KigaliShe is currentlycompleting a VISTA-funded training placementat Emory University inAtlanta and has beenawarded a QueenElizabeth Diamond JubileeScholarship to study foran MSc at Simon FraserUniversity in VancouverHer skills and educationwill further enhanceAfrican HIV science whenshe returns to Rwandaafter completion of herstudies

The US Agency for International Development is a key implementing agency of the US President s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief

wwwusaidgov

Africa-India InitiativesThe Africa-India initiatives build on more than adecade of collaboration between USAID IAVI and a wide range of diverse partners in 25 countries toresearch design and develop HIV vaccine candidates

New initiatives aim tobull Build more basic immunology and virology capacity

to enable Clinical Research Center (CRC) partnerscontribute to HIV vaccine design

bull Find new ways of working collaboratively across East and Southern Africa by sharing samplesexpertise data and capacity while focusing oncommon scientific goals

bull Train the next generation of investigators throughdegree programs mentorship and South-Southexchanges

bull Provide opportunity for investigator-initiatedresearch through a dedicated research fund

bull Keep the HIV vaccine research agenda focused onthe most vulnerable people through furtherepidemiological research

ldquoIt just makes sense to leverage over a decade of African partnershipbuildingrdquo says Jill Gilmour Executive Director of the IAVI Human Immunology Laboratory (HIL) at Imperial College in London ldquoOurlsquowith Africarsquo programs are catalyzing a momentum now felt by otherfunders and programsrdquo

Designing Better HIV Vaccines in AfricaInitiatives like VISTA whose initial objective is to inform design ofnew vaccines that elicit potent T cells against a broad spectrum ofHIV variants draw on existing capabilities and assets from adiverse network including samples like USAID-supported ProtocolC VISTArsquos network includes the USAID-supported Protocol Cstudy a landmark study that enrolled more than 600 volunteers from Kenya Rwanda South Africa Uganda and Zambia andcollected almost 20000 samples from volunteers at early stages ofHIV infection The evolving program continues to leverage thesepartnerships and samples already yielding unprecedented insightsinto both early HIV transmission and the progression of infectionover time VISTArsquos eight African research partners (see ldquolsquoWithAfricarsquo Initiative Highlightsrdquo) work in tandem with the HIL EmoryUniversity and Indian research institutions including the HIVVaccine Translational Research Laboratory a collaborative effortbetween IAVI and the Indian government

ldquoWith Africardquo Initiative Highlights

13

13

rsquo

ldquoThe case for an increasingly African-centric vaccine designbecomes even stronger for areas like East Africa where we are seeing the most new and genetically diverse sub-typeinfections in the worldrdquo says Eric Hunter Co-Director forBasic and Translational Science Emory Center for AIDSResearch Emory University

A Sustainable Next Generation of AfricanScientific LeadersldquoItrsquos very exciting to be more involved in both upstreamresearch and world class trainingrdquo said Pontiano KaleebuDirector of the Medical Research Council Uganda VirusResearch Institute (MRCUVRI) Unit on AIDS We arebuilding capacity that we can leverage for the overall health of Africardquo

In addition to the VISTA-supported post-doctoral scientiststhe International Training Program provides advanceddegree support to PhD and Masterrsquos degree candidatescompetitively selected from the CRC network ldquoTheseopportunities are attracting western-trained Africanscientists back to Africa to pursue cutting edge HIV vaccineresearchrdquo explained Kundai Chinyenze IAVIrsquos MedicalDirector in Kenya

CRC scientific staff are also building new skills in virology and immunology techniques Once trained they aresupported in transferring those techniques back to their clinical research sites

ldquoThis tremendous expansion of collaborative effort training and research for HIV vaccines in Africa provides a platformto help end [HIV and AIDS] while addressing numerousother challenging infectious diseases across a disease-burdened continentrdquo says William Kilembe Director of the Zambia Emory HIV Research Project in Lusaka Zambia

ldquoItrsquos well established that gold-standard HIV vaccine trials can beconducted in Africa yet theleadership of the research is rarelyAfrican USAID aims to shift thisdynamic by encouraging Africanscientists to play active and equal roles This means initiating researchthat reflects African realities andconsiders key regional prioritiesrdquo

mdashMargaret McCluskey Senior Advisorfor HIV Vaccines Office of HIVAIDS

Meet the Researchers

Gladys Njeri Macharia from the Kenya MedicalResearch Instituterepresents the nextgeneration to lead theAfrican HIV vaccineeffort She recentlycompleted a VISTA-funded training placement at Emory University inAtlanta The networkstechniques andknowledge learned atEmory will benefit herown study whilesupporting the efforts ofmany other HIV vaccineresearchers upon her return to Kenya

Gisele Umviligihozois a LaboratorySupervisor at the RwandaZambia HIV ResearchGroupIAVI site in KigaliShe is currentlycompleting a VISTA-funded training placementat Emory University inAtlanta and has beenawarded a QueenElizabeth Diamond JubileeScholarship to study foran MSc at Simon FraserUniversity in VancouverHer skills and educationwill further enhanceAfrican HIV science whenshe returns to Rwandaafter completion of herstudies

The US Agency for International Development is a key implementing agency of the US President s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief

wwwusaidgov

13

13

rsquo

ldquoThe case for an increasingly African-centric vaccine designbecomes even stronger for areas like East Africa where we are seeing the most new and genetically diverse sub-typeinfections in the worldrdquo says Eric Hunter Co-Director forBasic and Translational Science Emory Center for AIDSResearch Emory University

A Sustainable Next Generation of AfricanScientific LeadersldquoItrsquos very exciting to be more involved in both upstreamresearch and world class trainingrdquo said Pontiano KaleebuDirector of the Medical Research Council Uganda VirusResearch Institute (MRCUVRI) Unit on AIDS We arebuilding capacity that we can leverage for the overall health of Africardquo

In addition to the VISTA-supported post-doctoral scientiststhe International Training Program provides advanceddegree support to PhD and Masterrsquos degree candidatescompetitively selected from the CRC network ldquoTheseopportunities are attracting western-trained Africanscientists back to Africa to pursue cutting edge HIV vaccineresearchrdquo explained Kundai Chinyenze IAVIrsquos MedicalDirector in Kenya

CRC scientific staff are also building new skills in virology and immunology techniques Once trained they aresupported in transferring those techniques back to their clinical research sites

ldquoThis tremendous expansion of collaborative effort training and research for HIV vaccines in Africa provides a platformto help end [HIV and AIDS] while addressing numerousother challenging infectious diseases across a disease-burdened continentrdquo says William Kilembe Director of the Zambia Emory HIV Research Project in Lusaka Zambia

ldquoItrsquos well established that gold-standard HIV vaccine trials can beconducted in Africa yet theleadership of the research is rarelyAfrican USAID aims to shift thisdynamic by encouraging Africanscientists to play active and equal roles This means initiating researchthat reflects African realities andconsiders key regional prioritiesrdquo

mdashMargaret McCluskey Senior Advisorfor HIV Vaccines Office of HIVAIDS

Meet the Researchers

Gladys Njeri Macharia from the Kenya MedicalResearch Instituterepresents the nextgeneration to lead theAfrican HIV vaccineeffort She recentlycompleted a VISTA-funded training placement at Emory University inAtlanta The networkstechniques andknowledge learned atEmory will benefit herown study whilesupporting the efforts ofmany other HIV vaccineresearchers upon her return to Kenya

Gisele Umviligihozois a LaboratorySupervisor at the RwandaZambia HIV ResearchGroupIAVI site in KigaliShe is currentlycompleting a VISTA-funded training placementat Emory University inAtlanta and has beenawarded a QueenElizabeth Diamond JubileeScholarship to study foran MSc at Simon FraserUniversity in VancouverHer skills and educationwill further enhanceAfrican HIV science whenshe returns to Rwandaafter completion of herstudies

The US Agency for International Development is a key implementing agency of the US President s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief

wwwusaidgov