HIV Vaccine Industry Partnership Group
The HIV Vaccine Industry Partnership Group is an established forum that brings about the full contribution of the biomedical industry to address the complexities of HIV vaccine R&D. Its goal is to reignite the interest of the biomedical industry, funders and academics in the search for an HIV vaccine by regaining the pharmaceutical industry’s confidence in what is now a publicly led effort.
In a changing HIV prevention landscape, the Vaccine group provides the foundation and environment for change and increase the chances of developing and rolling out a safe and globally effective HIV vaccine. The group will focus on:
- Increasing the visibility of academic vaccine R&D to the biopharmaceutical industry
- Bringing together businesses working in all areas of vaccine discovery, development, manufacturing and distribution
- Providing a neutral space for interactions between industry and academia
- Facilitating interactions with normative agencies and global implementers
- Improving stakeholders' understanding of barriers to product development
- Encouraging and facilitating sharing of information and expertise
- Engaging with low-and middle-income countries to support forming international partnerships and facilitate product development and local testing in the interest of their citizens
- Supporting exchange programmes between academia and industry
- Supporting end-to-end good practice for product development
Interested in joining? Please contact cpp@iasociety.org.
Case studies
Case study 1: bnAbs: From prevention to cure
At IAS 2023, the Vaccine and Cure groups co-hosted a satellite event that focused on the high potential of bnAbs in prevention and cure of HIV and explored how the research and development of bnAbs for HIV prevention can contribute to the use of bnAbs in cure strategies. The satellite examined how efforts in the prevention and cure fields can be shared to develop bnAbs that benefit both areas of research. The session drew 130 participants, generating remarkable engagement: 10,558 impressions and 297 interactions on social media.
Case study 2: Supporting small and medium-sized biotechnology companies
In 2023, the Vaccine group conducted interviews with small and medium-sized biotechnology companies involved in vaccine development. The project’s goals include gaining insights into the challenges faced by these companies in HIV vaccine research, identifying solutions to sustain innovative approaches, and promoting the creation of entities to drive progress in this field. A paper will be published on the topic; a link will be added to the IAS website at the end of 2024.
Case study 3: Manufacturing vaccines in low- and middle-income countries
To prepare for an HIV vaccine, we must learn from COVID-19 vaccine rollout challenges. An HIV vaccine may be years off, but it's crucial to plan for scalable manufacturing and distribution, especially in low- and middle-income countries. In 2023, the Vaccine group organized an industry consultation to address challenges in localizing vaccine production, aimed at enhancing community involvement in product development, ensuring reliable public information and boosting manufacturing capabilities.
Case study 4: Strengthening industry engagement in HIV vaccine research and development
At AIDS 2022, the Vaccine group hosted a satellite to discuss barriers to industry involvement in HIV vaccine R&D, including recommendations for activating and optimizing industry participation in R&D. Watch the satellite session here and find the report here.
Case study 5: Biomarkers and clinical trial design
In 2022, the group hosted a workshop that explored how biomarkers could be used as surrogate markers of clinical efficacy in counterfactual vaccine trials. To access the workshop report, click here.