On Wednesday, May 18, 2022, AVAC and partners held Platforms & Pipelines, the first webinar in our HVAD 2022 webinar series. The moderators and panelists will discussed the miracle of mRNA—its history and potential challenges for HIV vaccines and what’s possible beyond SARS-CoV-2.

Moderators:

• Stacey Hannah, AVAC’s Director of Research Engagement
• Bill Snow, AVAC Senior Advisor

Panelists:

• Bart Haynes, Duke
• Nina Russell, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• Ntando Yola, DTHF and APHA

Recording and Slides: YouTube / Nina Russell’s Slides / Bart Haynes’ Slides

Johnson & Johnson and partners announced that the Imbokodo study, a large-scale HIV vaccine proof-of-concept trial also known as HVTN 705/HPX2008, did not significantly reduce the overall risk of HIV acquisition among over 2,600 women in five sub-Saharan African countries.

On September 9, AVAC held a global webinar to discuss this development and the implications for the HIV vaccine field. Watch the recording.

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.

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.

Recording and Slides: YouTube / Slides

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.

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.

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

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.

Recording: YouTube / Audio / Slides