Gates Foundation, a charitable organization founded by Bill Gates and his wife Melinda gates, donates $25 million for further research on the deadly human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
HIV causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and the virus is primarily transmitted via unprotected sexual intercourse, contaminated blood transfusion, from mother to child during pregnancy or breastfeeding and sharing of needles. The Gates Foundation indicates that about 35 million people worldwide are reported to be living with HIV and around 30 million people have died due to complications arising from HIV since it was first discovered in the 1980's.
The grant of $25 million from the Gates Foundation comes in at a time after researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) revealed that they have developed a vaccine that has the ability to entirely remove HIV from the human body.
Louis Picker, M.D., associate director of the OHSU Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and lead author of the study, revealed that they tested the vaccine on 100 lab monkeys. The researchers found that the vaccine was successful in completely removing HIV from half the monkeys. Picker indicates that further research is needed to develop an amended version of the vaccine that can be used on humans. The donation from Gates foundation will assist in advancing the research in the development of the HIV vaccine for humans.
"We are incredibly grateful for the Gates Foundation's support," says OHSU President Joe Robertson, M.D., M.B.A. "This is great news for OHSU but even better news for the fight against HIV and AIDS. Dr. Picker's research is at the leading edge of a process that might eliminate HIV from humans. The support of the Gates Foundation adds momentum to this vitally important work."
This is not the first time that the Gates Foundation has made a donation to Picker's team. In 2012, the foundation gave $8 million for research on the HIV vaccine. Moreover, the research for the HIV vaccine has also received other grants from the National Institutes of Health and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.
The latest donation is one of the largest grants received by OHSU. The researchers suggest that the grant will enable them to start phase 1 clinical trial of the vaccine for humans. However, it can still take 10 to 12 years before the vaccine is available commercially.
The study has been published in the journal Nature.
