CRUCELL WINS $16.2 MILLION HIV VACCINE CONTRACT

Dutch biotechnology company Crucell announced it has secured a $ 16.2 million contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the U.S. NIH, for the design and development of an HIV vaccine. The contract supports a collaborative program with the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at Harvard Medical School and Charles River Laboratories.

The program focuses on the use of live viral vectors for the design and development of an HIV vaccine. A number of HIV genes will be tested for insertion into the vector, with the best antigens being selected for development into products suitable for Phase I and II clinical trials in humans. The program will be supported by NIAID's Vaccine Research Center, which will offer expertise on antigen design. Further, the NIAID HIV Vaccine Trials Network has expressed interest in performing clinical trials as soon as preclinical tests are completed and a clinical lot is available.

"We are very grateful to the NIAID for their support and ongoing endorsement of our technology in the field of HIV vaccine development," said Jaap Goudsmit, chief financial officer of Crucell. "Multiple high-level vaccine initiatives are essential if we are to be successful in delivering the safe, effective and accessible HIV vaccine that the world needs so urgently."