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Gates charity's $287m to create Aids vaccine

20 July 2006

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced an unprecedented $287 million in grants to create an international network of 16 labs to try making a new vaccine against Aids.

The foundation wants to transform the unsuccessful Aids vaccine effort by helping to develop labs' innovative ideas, but also ensuring they collaborate with other researchers that were previously competitors.

"This is the foundation's largest-ever investment in HIV vaccine development. In fact, it's our largest-ever package of grants for HIV and Aids," said Dr Nicholas Hellmann, acting director of the Gates Foundation's HIV, TB, and Reproductive Health program.

One grant recipient is Professor Robin Weiss [UCL Infection & Immunity] and colleagues who will use $25.3 million to look for antibodies to help stop the human immunodeficiency virus.

'The Evening Standard'