HIV Vaccine

Research Initiative Receives Grant from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

THE latest assault against the worldwide spread of the HIV virus will be led by a team of researchers in Perth.

Scientists from the Centre for Clinical Immunology and Biomedical Statistics have received a grant of US$9.8 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to continue their work to support the scientific community in the search for a vaccine against the HIV virus.

The Centre, which is a collaborative venture between Murdoch University and Royal Perth Hospital, has been approaching the development of an HIV vaccine from a unique angle, working with the virus's ability to tailor itself to an individual's immune response.

 
Professor Simon Mallal and Professor Ian James

HIV has been difficult to treat with drugs or prevent with a vaccine because of its high mutation rate,�h said Professor Simon Mallal, Executive Director of the Centre.

However, these mutations are not random; rather, they are adapting to each individual's genetic make-up to evade the immune response.�h

Dr Mallal and his team found that the virus can recognise and mutate itself to individual HLA types, which are the surface recognition molecules that act like the PIN of the individual's immune system.

There are so many variants of the virus that eventually a mutation may appear that bypasses the HLA type of a person's body, and then begins to replicate more successfully. So now that we understand what sorts of mutations occur in the virus against different HLA types, we are assisting groups around the world to design more effective vaccines.

Dr Mallal is working with co-Director of Centre, statistician Professor Ian James, to develop a database of these relationships between the HIV virus and individual HLA types in different populations around the world.

The team will work to characterise HIV and human genetics with communities in Africa, China, the United States, Australia, the Caribbean and South America to allow scientists to design vaccines for those populations.

Funding injection from State Government

Western Australia's efforts to search for a vaccine against HIV and other infectious diseases has also received a shot in the arm in the latest round of State Centre of Excellence funding.

The State Government allocated $2.3 million to establish the Institute for Clinical Research, which is a collaborative centre between Murdoch University and Royal Perth Hospital. The COE funding together with matching funding from Murdoch University will be used to construct a new purpose built facility on the Murdoch University South Street campus.

Headed by Professor Simon Mallal, this Institute will spearhead research in WA into infectious diseases affecting people in WA and around the world.

This Institute will focus on contemporary issues in clinical care and global health needs to prevent and reduce the burden of disease, improve clinical care, and advance medical and scientific knowledge.