Expanding the findings of RV144 to South Africa: P5 initiative
10th Euro Global Summit and Expo on Vaccines & Vaccination
June 16-18, 2016 Rome, Italy

Glenda Gray

South African Medical Research Council, South Africa

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Vaccines Vaccin

Abstract:

Novel strategies are being researched to discover vaccines to prevent HIV-1. Non-efficacious preventative vaccine approaches include bivalent recombinant gp120 alone, HIV gene insertion into an Adenovirus 5 (Ad5) virus vector and the DNA prime/ Ad5 boost vaccine regimen. However, in the RV144 study, modest efficacy was demonstrated by the ALVAC-HIV prime/AIDSVAX® B/E gp120 boost regimen conducted in Thailand, which showed around 60% protection at 12 months, but waned to 31.2% efficacy at 3.5 years, is now being investigated as a new clade C ALVAC construct, a new bivalent clade C protein adjuvanted with MF59 with an additional boost and 12 months to augment durability. The HVTN 097 replicated the immunogenicity of the RV144 study in South Africa and demonstrated robust vaccine induced immune responses. HVTN 100, a phase 1/2 study evaluated the clade C regimen in South Africa, to inform the immunological basis to evaluate this regimen in advanced clinical development in the form of an efficacy study. This paper will describe the process and rationale to advance the clinical development of the pox-protein public private partnership HIV vaccine program.

Biography :

Glenda Gray, MBBCH, FCPaeds (SA), DSc (honoris causa), an NRF A rated scientist, is the newly appointed President of the South African Medical Research Council. Gray, who trained as a Medical Doctor and Paediatrician at the University of the Witwatersrand, co-founded and led the Internationally renowned Perinatal HIV Research Unit, based at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto. She has expertise in mother to child transmission of HIV, HIV vaccines and microbicides. She is the Co-PI of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network and Director of the HVTN International Programs. In 2002, she was awarded the Nelson Mandela Health and Human Rights Award for pioneering work done in the field of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV-1. She is a member of the Academy of Science in South Africa, and chairs their standing committee on health. She is a member of the Institute of Medicine, of the National Academies, and serves on their Global Health Board. She has also been confirmed as the new Chair Elect for the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD). Gray has also been awarded the IAPAC “Hero of Medicine” award for work done in the field of HIV treatment in children and adults. In 2009, James McIntyre and Gray received the N’Galy-Mann lectureship in recognition of their HIV research contribution in South Africa. In June 2012 she received a DSc (honoris causa) from the Simon Fraser University, Vancouver for her work in the field of mother to child transmission of HIV. She has also been admitted into the American Academy of Microbiology in 2012. In 2013 she received the country’s highest honour, the Order of Mapungubwe, granted by the president of SA for achievements in the international area which have served South Africa’s interest.

Email: Glenda.Gray@mrc.ac.za