The research group led by Mariano Esteban at the CNB-CSIC and another 38 partners in the European Union, the United States and Africa, make up the recently launched European HIV Vaccine Alliance (EHVA). This new partnership receives more than 22 million euros in funding from the European Commission, supplemented by 6 million euros from the Swiss government.
AIDS continues to be a major problem worldwide, with 37 million people infected by the virus and up to two million new infections every year, according to the WHO. Although there are effective preventive strategies based on antiretroviral drugs, they are difficult to maintain long-term. According to Mariano Esteban, "a vaccine would be the most effective tool for fighting this infection. This large international alliance is an important boost to the efforts of experts from around the world to develop effective therapeutic and prophylactic vaccines able to control the infection and allow elimination of the viral reservoir".
EHVA is a five-year multidisciplinary project that includes partners in industry and academia. Its objective is to advance the development of new preventive and therapeutic candidate vaccine for HIV. A prophylactic vaccine would extend the protective antibody response against the virus, while a therapuetic vaccine could contribute to cure of the disease.
Esteban’s group at the CNB has extensive experience in the vaccine field and is recognized internationally as a pioneer in the search for an anti-HIV vaccine. His laboratory developed and patented a vaccine (MVA-B) that has proven safe and effective, from the immunological point of view, as a prophylactic and therapeutic treatment in phase I.e clinical trials.
During its five-year work plan, the EHVA will promote the discovery, development and clinical testing of new anti-HIV candidate vaccines that show promise in macaque experimental models and in humans.