May 18 is HIV Vaccine Awareness Day (HVAD), a day when partners around the world join to celebrate the people, partnerships and science pushing ever closer to a safe, efficacious and accessible vaccine against HIV. Check out our HVAD 2021 page for materials and information to support advocacy, action and more.
Avac Event
HIV Vaccine Awareness Day (HVAD) 2021
Avac Event
HIV Vaccines in the Midst of COVID
HIV Vaccine Awareness Day is just around the corner—May 18th! AVAC hosted a webinar, HIV Vaccines in the Midst of COVID, on Thursday, May 13, 2021.
Expert researchers and advocates discussed major issues and advances in HIV vaccine R&D and the impacts of COVID-19 on vaccine research and delivery. The conversation explored the lessons learned to date and how they serve as a warning, a model, and a body of evidence on the need for accelerated vaccine development and comprehensive strategies for equitable global access.
The moderated panel discussion included Barney Graham of the NIH Vaccine Research Center, who helped develop the mRNA vaccine technology; Pontiano Kaleebu of the MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit who helps lead the PrEPVacc trial; Linda-Gail Bekker of the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation who is involved in cutting-edge HIV vaccine research and COVID vaccine delivery; and Matthew Rose of Health GAP and Definate Nhamo of PZAT who deal with the wide range of issues of confidence in vaccine research AND delivery.
We hope you’ll enjoy this rich conversation and make the most of your advocacy around HIV Vaccine Awareness Day on May 18.
Avac Event
Webinar: HVTN 702 updates and next steps
Recently, leaders of HVTN 702 HIV vaccine efficacy trial in South Africa (also known as Uhambo), announced that vaccinations would be stopped early because the vaccine candidate did not prevent HIV. Importantly, there were no safety concerns. Since then, conversations have ensued—from local and global levels—to understand the result and its implications for the future of HIV vaccine development.
AVAC and Advocacy for the Prevention of HIV and AIDS (APHA) held a global webinar on Wednesday, February 19 to discuss the latest updates on these conversations and reflect on how they may impact HIV prevention globally.
The call provided civil society perspectives from APHA and the Vaccine Resource Advocacy Group (VARG), updates from HVTN 702 researchers, and broader context of HIV vaccine development from the United States NIH’s Division of AIDS (DAIDS).
HVTN 702 is one of several Phase III vaccine trials ongoing at this time. HVTN 705/ HPX2008 (Imbokodo), HVTN 706/HPX3002 (Mosaico) and the PrEPVacc Study are all exploring novel HIV vaccine candidates. Broadly neutralizing antibodies and additional ARV-based prevention options are also in large-scale trials. Though the failure to find efficacy with HVTN 702 represents a disappointment, unflagging momentum in research must continue. It’s crucial to understand these results and the scientific contribution they will make to a future, urgently needed vaccine.
A recording of the webinar can be found here.
Avac Event
HVAD 2020
May 18 is HIV Vaccine Awareness Day (HVAD), a day when partners around the world join to celebrate the people, partnerships and science pushing ever closer to a safe, efficacious and accessible vaccine against HIV. Check out AVAC’s dedicated HVAD 2020 page, which includes a toolkit, details on related webinars to support advocacy and action and more.
Avac Event
HIV Vaccine Science and Advocacy Priorities this HVAD
On Thursday, May 16, Mary Marovich, the Director of the Vaccine Research Program at the Division of AIDS at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and long-time HIV vaccine research advocate and community leader, Mark Hubbard, provided their perspectives on the current vaccine landscape, the advocacy priorities and what should be on all of our minds as this exciting science progresses.
Recording: YouTube / Audio / Introductory Slides / Mary Marovich’s Slides
Avac Event
Growing Epidemic of Vaccine Hesitancy and the Implications for Global Health
On Thursday, May 23, Heidi Larson, the Director of The Vaccine Confidence Project at the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene discussed vaccine hesitancy and its implications across global health. We were also joined by Laura Lopez Gonzalez, deputy editor of South Africa’s Bhekisisa Health Journalism Centre, who shared perspectives on broader vaccine issues, especially as they play out in the media and affect the AIDS response.
Avac Event
Webinar: HIV Research in the Era of PrEP: The implications of TDF/FTC for biomedical prevention trials
On Thursday, October 26, colleagues from the Treatment Action Group (TAG), along with advocates, researchers and GPP practitioners, discussed the recommendations from TAG’s recently released white paper, HIV Research in the Era of PrEP: The Implications of TDF/FTC for Biomedical Prevention Trials.
The effectiveness and increasing availability of oral PrEP raises questions about how it should be incorporated into clinical trial designs for next-generation HIV prevention options. This paper explores ethics, the scientific literature to date, and advocates’ views on the issue.
Avac Event
Webinar: Vaccine and Cure Research in Europe: the EHVA and HIVACAR Consortiums
AVAC PxROAR Europe presents a webinar introducing European approaches to HIV vaccines and a cure:
- The European HIV Alliance’s Sheena McCormack will discuss HIV vaccines and the quest to identify immune correlates associated with control of HIV replication. The EHVA is a consortium of 39 partners from eleven countries in Europe plus four in sub-Saharan Africa and the US. It is pursuing a number of different preventative vaccine strategies including improved viral vectors, modified versions of HIV envelope proteins and dendritic-cell vaccines.
- HIVACAR’s Felipe Garcia will discuss research into a therapeutic alternative to “cART for life” (combined antiretroviral therapy). An innovative strategy based on the patient’s immune system that is safe, affordable and scalable to achieve the functional cure of HIV-1 infection will be tested in a Phase I/IIa clinical trial. HIVACAR is a 14-site consortium evaluating a combination of immune-based therapies to achieve a functional cure of HIV infection.
Both EHVA and HIVACAR are funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme.
Recording: YouTube / Audio / EHVA Slides / HIVACAR Slides
Avac Event
Webinar: HVAD 2018
On Thursday, May 17, AVAC’s HVAD 2018 webinar told the story of the current state of HIV vaccine research from two perspectives. Dr. Sandhya Vasan of the Military HIV Research Program in Thailand provided her perspectives on the world of HIV vaccine research since RV144: where have we come and where are we going? Mark Hubbard, a veteran vaccine advocate and community representative for HIV research in Nashville, Tennessee offered his take from a community and advocacy perspective: what are today’s current successes and challenges, and how are community members pushing the HIV vaccine agenda?
Recording: YouTube / Audio / Dr. Sandhya Vasan’s Slides / Mark Hubbard’s Slides
Avac Event
HIV Vaccine Awareness Day 2017 Webinar Series
This year marks the 20th anniversary of HIV Vaccine Awareness Day (HVAD). As HIV prevention advocates, we find ourselves in new terrain when it comes to vaccine research—both in terms of scientific progress and the challenging political environment. We highlight these important issues in an HVAD webinar series leading up to and ending on May 18.
Recordings of the webinars available here:
- Ad26 Mosaic Program—Janssen’s Maria Pau discusses preparations for the next efficacy trial
April 28 – YouTube / Audio / Slides - The History—and Future—of the NIH’s Vaccine Research Center with Barney Graham
May 4 – YouTube / Audio / Slides - Building on (and Building!) Success—status of HVTN 702 with Fatima Laher
May 8 – YouTube / Audio / Slides - “Plan B”-NAb? An Overview of Antibody Research with Lynn Morris
May 11 – YouTube / Audio / Slides - An Overview of Vaccine Development with Julie Ake of MHRP
May 18 – YouTube / Audio / Slides