BIRMINGHAM, AL — The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has been awarded a five-year, $16.3 million grant to support clinical and laboratory research in the U.S., Europe and Africa to study changes that occur in the immune system and in the HIV virus in people newly infected with HIV.
The grant is part of the Grand Challenges in Global Health Initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In all, 43 grants totaling $436 million were awarded. (See attached news release and backgrounder for more information on the initiative.)
Upon exposure to HIV, most individuals develop an early immune response that limits but does not stop the virus from spreading throughout the body and destroying host immune defenses. The aim of Dr. Shaw's study is to guide the development of an HIV vaccine by better understanding the initial strengths and ultimate weaknesses of the natural immune response to the virus.
For more information, please see the press release on the Grand Challenges in Global Health Web site:
Press Release: Initiative Selects 43 Groundbreaking Projects
Grand Challenges in Global Health: Background on the Initiative and Research Projects (PDF document)
Quotation from page 10 of the PDF document, Grand Challenges in Global Health: Background on the Initiative and Research Projects:
Molecular Analysis and Modeling of HIV-1 Transmission, Containment, and Escape
Lead investigator: George M. Shaw, Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
U.S. Grant amount: $16.3 million
Investigators from clinical and laboratory research sites in the U.S., Europe, and Africa will study people who have recently become infected with HIV, to analyze the changes that occur over time in their immune systems and in the virus itself. Upon exposure to HIV, most individuals develop an early immune response that limits but does not stop the virus from spreading throughout the body and destroying host immune defenses. The project’s goal is to guide the development of an HIV vaccine by better understanding the initial strengths and ultimate weaknesses of the natural immune response to the virus."
Downloadable Image
To save images from your browser window, follow these directions:
- Windows users: follow the "Download now" link below and then right-click the large image — select "Save picture as ..." from the menu to save the image to your local computer.
- Macintosh users: follow the "Download now" link below and then control-click (hold down control while clicking) the large image — select "Download Image to Disk" to save the image to your local computer.
 | Image Size: |
