NEW PLAN TO SPEED AIDS VACCINE WINS GATES FOUNDATION'S BACKING IAVI WINS NEW FINANCIAL COMMITMENTS FROM BILL AND MELINDA GATES,UK GOVERNMENT, AND WORLD BANK; IMPLEMENTATION OF 'SCIENTIFIC BLUEPRINT' TO BEGIN IMMEDIATELY GENEVA, June 28 /PRNewswire-Asianet/ -- The International AIDSVaccine Initiative (IAVI) unveiled a new global scientific strategy toaccelerate AIDS vaccine development, and said it will begin work on the planwith existing resources and newly announced grants from the William H. GatesFoundation, the World Bank and the Government of the United Kingdom. IAVI's Scientific Blueprint for AIDS Vaccine Development was released bythe two-year old non-profit scientific and educational organization on theopening day of the World AIDS Conference. The report synthesizes months ofconsultations with scientific, industrial, political and community leaders indeveloping and industrialized countries, and includes an analysis of ongoingAIDS vaccine research and development efforts. (For the complete text of this release and the Scientific Blueprint, visitwww.iavi.org.) "The world is not on track to meet the goal of a safe and effective AIDSvaccine in the next decade," said Dr. Margaret Johnston, IAVI's Vice Presidentfor Scientific Affairs. "This program will not only put us back on track; itwill put us on a fast track." The Blueprint outlines a global strategy toaccelerate product development and human testing. "IAVI's approach is designed to complement, not compete with, existing AIDSvaccine efforts, which have increasingly emphasized basic research," Dr. SethBerkley, IAVI's president, said. "In addition, our approach is uniquelygeared to the needs of developing countries." At least 30.6 million individuals around the world are infected with HIV,and another 16,000 become newly infected every day, according to UNAIDS. "Asafe, effective, accessible vaccine is our only realistic hope for stoppingthe AIDS epidemic," said Dr. Peter Piot, executive director of UNAIDS. "TheScientific Blueprint details a bold and necessary global program to achievesuccess in the shortest time possible," Piot added. Dr. Berkley also announced a number of new financial commitments to IAVI.These include a US$1.5 million grant from the William H. Gates Foundation, and200,000 pounds from the United Kingdom's Department for InternationalDevelopment (DIFD). "Melinda and I are committed to building a future in which AIDS is part ofthe past. As parents, and as believers in science and technology, we makethis gift with the hope that a safe, accessible vaccine can be developed toend AIDS for all time," said Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft. "This willrequire a sustained global effort and creative thinking from organizations atall levels. We hope our commitment to IAVI will inspire others to join thisworthy cause." "We're gratified that forward-thinking people like Bill and Melinda Gateswere willing to invest in IAVI's scientific program," Berkley said. IAVI also receives ongoing support from the Rockefeller Foundation, theStarr Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Until There's A CureFoundation, the World Bank, UNAIDS, Glaxo-Wellcome's Positive Action Program,Fondation Marcel Merieux, and the U.K.'s National AIDS Trust. The LeviStrauss Foundation recently became IAVI's first significant corporate funder. IAVI's mission is to ensure the development of safe, effective, accessible,preventive HIV vaccines for use throughout the world. Lean in structure andcatalytic in nature, IAVI's work focuses on three areas: education andadvocacy; accelerating scientific progress; and creating a more supportiveenvironment for vaccine development. The William H. Gates Foundation, based in Seattle, Wash., was created in1994 by Bill and Melinda Gates to support initiatives in areas that are ofparticular concern to them. Those broad fields include support forinstitutions of higher learning, local capital campaigns, access totechnology, and world health and population.SOURCE International AIDS Vaccine InitiativeNOTE TO EDITORS: IAVI's press conference to release the Scientific Blueprint will be held on Sunday, 28 June, 1998, from 15:00 to 16:00, in the Geneva II Room of the Swissair Building, directly adjacent to the Palexpo. Refreshments will be served. CONTACT: Victor Zonana, in Geneva, beginning June 26: 41-22-310-4045 Hotel, or 44-07-771-626-919 - Cellular, or After July 3rd: at IAVI, in New York, 212-655-0201, Extension 88, 917-406-5633 - Cellular, or [email protected] CONTACTS: InterScience, in London: Bernadette Simmons, or Mark Chataway, 011-44-0-171-331-0331, fax, 011-44-0-171-331-0333 or [email protected]/ /Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/pub/pd/pdz?f=PRN/prnphotos& grid=2 or NewsCom, 213-237-5431/ /Web site: