DR CHIDI V NWENEKAEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

AFRICAN AIDS VACCINE PARTNERSHIP

AAVP and the Promotion of HIV Vaccines in Africa: Supporting Career Development for Young

African Scientists

6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention

Rome17 – 20 July 2011

HIV Vaccine – The Need

Over 30 years of HIV,

≈ 60 million people infected

≈ 30 million dead

Still ≈ 7000 new infections per day

Still no cure for HIV infection

Majority of those who need ART cannot have it

For every one person starting ART, 2 – 3 new infections occur

Current prevention methods not optimal

Vaccine – not perfect, but still preferable

“A vaccine with 50 percent efficacy provided to 30 percent of the population would reduce new annual infections by 34 percent (seventeen million infections avoided) over fifteen years and result in substantial financial savings” (John Stover et al., Health Affairs, 2007)

A vaccine with only 30% efficacy, given to all those who need it will avert ≈ 45% of infections (Kaldor & Wilson, AIDS 2010)

Sub-Saharan Africa – Highest HIV Burden

Sub-Saharan Africa – extremely low contribution to HIV

Vaccine R&D

Sub-Saharan Africa – extremely low contribution to HIV

Vaccine R&D

AAVP – The PromiseVision: “An AIDS-free Africa through an

effective vaccine”

Mission: To promote HIV vaccine development for Africa through research, advocacy, partnership and contribution to capacity strengthening and policy development

Overarching goal: To ensure significant African ownership of and contribution to all phases of development of an effective HIV vaccine suitable for use in Africa

AAVP’s Programme Approach

HIV vaccine advocacy

Resource mobilisation

for HIV vaccine R&D

Capacity Building

AAVP Partnership

support programme

Promotion of the African HIV Vaccine Agenda

Goal: To create an enabling

environment conducive for

AAVP’s partners to effectively conduct their business of

HIV vaccine R&D in Africa

Objective: To Identify and address ethical,

regulatory and other issues that might affect effective conduct of HIV vaccine R&D in Africa by

AAVP’s partners and stakeholders

Goal: To increase the

political support from

African countries for HIV vaccine

R&D

Goal: To build the human and infrastructural

capacity for biomedical research in

Africa

Goal: to increase the level of

funding for HIV vaccine R&D and related activities

from within Africa

AAVP’s New Programme Approach

Young African Scientists

Mentorship Programme

Capacity building

programme for IRBs &

regulatory authorities

Capacity strengthening programme for

middle and senior level scientists in

Africa

HIV vaccine

advocacy

Resource mobilisation for

HIV vaccine R&D

Capacity Building

AAVP Partnership

support programme

Promotion of the African HIV

Vaccine Agenda

Young Scientists Mentorship Programme

TO INCREASE THE POOL OF AFRICAN BIOMEDICAL

SCIENTISTS AVAILABLE FOR HIV VACCINE

RESEARCH

Goal

Programme Description

Provide hands-on practical research experience to

Biomedical students in African tertiary institutions who are near their final year

Biomedical graduates of African tertiary institutions within their first five years after graduation in biomedical research.

Trainees will trained to become leaders of research

Run as two distinct Fellowships

The Fellowships

Undergraduate Research Training Fellowships

For undergraduate biomedical students

Young Investigators’ Training Fellowships

For graduates who left school within five years prior to the date of taking up the Fellowship

The Undergraduate FellowshipGoal: to stimulate the Fellow’s interest in

biomedical research

Fellows to spend 6 weeks in the field under supervision of a Mentor

During the period focus will be on Trainings on Research Methodology Conducting literature search Observing actual field & laboratory work

Fellow to attend at least one strictly scientific conference

Young Investigators’ Training Fellowship

Goal: to train young African graduates to become research leaders

Fellows to spend between 12 – 36 months in an established research institution conducting research

The research idea will be original, developed by the Fellow before award of the Fellowship

Fellow to be attached by AAVP to a Mentor

Some Alumni encouraged to become

Mentors

Further Mentorship within the Alumni aimed at helping

Fellows become fully independent researchers

After training, Fellows join AAVP Fellows Alumni

The Mentor then guides the Fellow for the rest of the

Programme

All Fellowship recipients will then be matched with appropriate Mentors

Applicants who successfully advance their ideas into good

research projects will be awarded the Fellowship

Applicants with bright ideas placed on one month probationary mentorship to further develop their ideas

Research ideas review for potentials

Prospective Fellows submit their research

ideas

Call for interests

Training Curriculum

Fellows to be guided by specific training objectives

Generating research ideas

Proposal development and proposal writing

Writing grant applications

Conducting literature search

Writing scientific papers including review articles

Presentations at scientific conferences

Manage a research project from inception to publication of research findings.

Other issues

The Mentor will only serve as a guide

The research work will be carried out by the Fellow

Fellows will also be encouraged to enrol for a PhD with the Fellowship, especially Fellows requesting for a 36 month Fellowship

After training, alumni can choose what they want to do thereafter

Target: At least 10% retention in biomedical research

Summary

HIV/AIDS has become a predominantly African problem

Only Africans will eventually make a lasting difference

AAVP has been set up to respond to this need

It may be a hard and long journey

But we will get there

Thank You