Today, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that it will fund a large-scale efficacy trial in South Africa to test the prime-boost vaccine regimen that is a modified version of the RV144 vaccine that showed modest efficacy in 2009. This will be the first large-scale HIV vaccine trial to take place in South Africa in almost a decade, and an exciting development for the country and the field. In addition to the announcement, NIH also posted questions and answers about the new study.

Still have questions or want to hear more about what this all means? Then join us on Tuesday, May 31, at 10am US Eastern/4pm South Africa time (see www.timeanddate.com for the time in your area), for a webinar with Linda-Gail Bekker from the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation and the lead investigator on the current HVTN 100 vaccine trial.

Register for the webinar here.

The announcement of the trial, known as HVTN 702, comes on HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, the annual event that allows us all to recommit ourselves to accelerate the search for an HIV vaccine. As we wrote on Monday, today and every day, we should all say, “I’m committed to ending the AIDS epidemic, and that means finding an HIV vaccine.”

The announcement that HVTN 702 will take place comes nearly seven years after the announcement of efficacy data from RV144. In the intervening years, global scientific collaborations have probed the responses from RV144 and developed plans, in combination with industry, to optimize the regimen so that it might work better, provide more durable protection and is tailored for the HIV subtype C that is most common in Southern Africa.

Today’s decision is based on an interim analysis of HVTN 100, a current trial in South Africa led by the NIH-funded HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) that is looking for immune responses and safety in South African volunteers of the modified vaccine combination. HVTN 702 will start later this year and will measure safety and efficacy in 5,400 participants.

Under the current plan, it will be at least four years before there are data from HVTN 702. Check out our new AIDS Vaccine Research Overview that shows the HVTN 100/702 trials in context of the larger field. Other HVAD materials are here. In addition, check out some of these new HVAD articles that just came out:

• Members of Vaccine Advocacy Resource Group published HIV Vaccine – Closer than ever in the South African Mail & Guardian’s Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism.
• Recent AVAC Fellow Anna Miti in Zimbabwe published a new blog entitled Wanted-AIDS Vaccine.
• Kate MacQueen of FHI 360 and Mitchell Warren of AVAC published a Viewpoint – HIV Vaccine Awareness Day: Sustaining the momentum – in the Journal of the International AIDS Society.

As is so often and so rightly said in this field: much accomplished; much to do!

It’s that time again—HIV Vaccine Awareness Day. AVAC has worked with partners to develop a range of tools and resources for this day and for year-round advocacy. We hope you’ll find them useful whether you unfurl banners, strike up a band, hold a fishing boat race, host a town hall forum, or just turn to your closest neighbor and say, on May 18, “I’m committed to ending the AIDS epidemic, and that means finding an HIV vaccine.”

This year’s HVAD tools and resources include:

• A quick, colorful and comprehensive HIV Vaccine Research Overview. Four pages, five top-line updates. A speedy read designed to give a sense of the moving parts, momentum and major issues coming up in the year to come.
• HIV Vaccines by the Numbers: What, where, how many… key facts about the state of the science.
• Updated versions of AVAC’s core tools for HIV vaccine research literacy, including key messages, an introductory fact sheet, HIV vaccine basics PowerPoint presentation and Busy Advocates Guides to key issues.

At AVAC, we thank you for your work and partnership today and every day. We’re committed to ending the AIDS epidemic, and that means finding an HIV vaccine. We couldn’t do it without you.

Happy HVAD 2016!

Out of all the different book and movie genres, my favorite is science fiction. There’s something about “futuristic” technology and how society reacts to it that fascinates me. So when I had the opportunity to attend the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise’s “Innovative Uses of Technology in HIV Clinical Trials” meeting, I didn’t want to miss out. As technology and global health both expand—and in some places converge—I find myself more and more drawn to understanding how the global health field might benefit or be hindered by this growth in technology.

The meeting, which was part of the Enterprise’s “Timely Topics” series, concentrated on how using new technologies like biometrics, mobile phone messaging, cell phones, tablets and smart pill bottles could help clinicians, researchers and clients. Here are four key takeaways:

1. Just because we have technology doesn’t mean that researchers should use it. This idea was particularly stressed when discussing data collection. We now have the ability to collect responses through technologies like tablets or SMS. However, this doesn’t mean that we should disregard paper methods. Technology can be harder to use because it may malfunction, may not be viewed favorably by locals, get stolen or even be inaccessible when batteries run out or power goes out. We need to be sure that we are thinking about the usability of technologies and whether or not they truly add worth.

2. Policy needs to catch up with technology / Health technology companies need to ensure there are protocols in place: It’s scary to think that technology is often ahead of policy. Though it is perhaps impossible to think of every worst-case scenario, governments should start thinking of health privacy laws. In addition, health technology companies and those who utilize the technologies should put sound protocols in place should data be hacked or misused. Though biometrics (a technique using physical characteristics to identify a person), seems like a safer way to guard identity because the human body is unique to every individual, companies must proceed with caution and consider robust and secure measures.

3. Those working in the global health field and technologies need to work together to push companies to create compatible structures and platforms, at the very least within country: As the speakers stood in front to present, one of the repeated questions pertained to the compatibility of the different technologies or data systems. Unfortunately, not all of the software used seemed to be compatible. Though these new technologies are currently being tested with smaller populations, going forward, governments, clinical trial sites and companies need to decide on how to make these systems compatible. Otherwise, data sets may not be transferrable and money wasted on either starting from scratch or having someone convert data.

4. Messaging needs to be well thought out and expectations managed: I’m a big proponent of using technology to improve global health. However, I also know that transparent communication is key to growing relations and trust. That’s why I was a little bit wary as to the messaging that is potentially being conveyed when introducing something as new as biometric scanning. Are the possible cons of biometrics thoroughly listed out before participants willingly give up scans of their eyes or finger prints? Are donors and implementers aware of the responsibility and gravity of what will happen if the information were ever to get into the wrong hands? After all, things like our eyes and fingerprints cannot be reset like passwords can.

The conference was eye-opening to the different ways that technology can impact global health. The convergence of technology and health is definitely a growing field that we should be watching out for in excitement. However, we also need to pause and think before jumping into new innovations.

You can view the meeting presentations here.