Principal scientist & project director of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative speaks at seminar on new trends in vaccine development New findings have doubled the efforts for an AIDS vaccine,said Dr Sanjay Phogat,principal scientist and project director of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. It is a virus that has eluded us for long, said Dr Phogat,who was among the key researchers in the US who discovered two new human antibodies that can neutralise the HIV virus. Phogat was in Pune to attend a seminar on new trends in AIDS vaccine development organised by the School of Biotechnology,I2IT,Hinjewadi. While no timeline can be set on when an AIDS vaccine will be available,new discoveries and inventions have surely taken us closer to the aim. Most vaccines work by triggering the immune system to produce antibodies that help beat infections. Yet,this strategy has not been successful in defeating the HIV virus, said Phogat. The proteins on the surface of the HIV mutate rapidly and the change their shape preventing the antibodies from latching on to it and neutralising the virus. Phogat was among the scientists at the National Institutes of Health that found antibodies that can neutralise different isolates of HIV by binding to a specific region on an HIV surface protein known as gp120. Now,researchers are investigating strategies to target this area. He also highlighted the contribution and key role of Indian researchers and scientists and the strong emergence of India as a hub of vaccine science and research. Dr R S Paranjape,director,National AIDS Research Institute (NARI),Dr Sanjay Singh,CEO,Gennova Biopharmaceuticals,Pune,Prof A K Verma,director,I2IT,Prof Aruna Katara,executive director and Dr Sheo Mohan Singh,professor & head,School of Biotechnology also attended the seminar. Paranjape spoke about the need for more scientific research and human clinical trials to develop and validate a human AIDS vaccine while Singh emphasised the need for more funding and focused research to develop vaccines and informed about the initiatives taken by Gennova Biophramaceuticals in association with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
