Basic Science and Vaccine Discovery
More research is needed to understand the kinds of immune responses that can control HIV replication, as well as how to elicit such responses. To rationally design an effective preventive HIV vaccine, further scientific discoveries and breakthroughs and new paradigms are needed. Advances in basic research may bring these breakthroughs in unexpected ways. In recent meetings organized by NIAID, researchers have emphasized the need to broaden research directed at answering fundamental questions in HIV vaccine discovery through laboratory, nonhuman primate (NHP), and clinical research. This has led to new funding opportunities for established and new investigators, including those from disciplines not directly related to vaccine research but whose research may have an impact on the future design of an optimal HIV vaccine. NIAID has renewed and expanded its commitment to basic scientific discovery by issuing initiatives on:
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B cell immunology
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Systems biology analysis of early immune responses to HIV/SIV
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Immune defense mechanisms at mucosal surfaces
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Strengthen bridges between non-human primate research and clinical research
Funding programs in each of these areas of research support innovation, foster collaboration through multidisciplinary research, and engage new scientists into the field of HIV vaccine research. Through such efforts it is hoped that the new knowledge generated can be used to create novel tools and strategies useful in vaccine design and evaluation.
Information on the initiatives can be found on the Funding Page.