The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has announced that Nigeria is participating in an African-led research for the development of an effective HIV Vaccine in the sub-region.
Director General of the agency, Dr Temitope Ilori, made the disclosure during the launch of the project in Abuja.
She said the project called the Bringing Innovation to clinical and laboratory research to end HIV In Africa through New vaccine Technology ( Brilliant) is a USAID-funded initiative led by the BRILLIANT consortium, with participation from eight African countries under the South African Medical Research Council and Professor Glenda Grey.
The USAID awarded more than US $45 million to the BRAILLIANT consortium through a competitive process to implement a cooperative agreement under the “HIV Vaccine Innovation, Science, and Technology Acceleration in Africa (HIV-VISTA).”
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The NACA Director General said the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) serves as the only West African site of the project.
She said, “Unfortunately, HIV remains a significant challenge in Nigeria. Despite our progress in reducing new infections and controlling the virus, the HIV epidemic persists, hence requiring new tools for prevention.NACA has continued to provide current prevention measures, but an effective vaccine is crucial to our efforts.”
She said the HIV-VISTA study under the project offers hope for a vaccine tailored to the needs of our population, adding that Nigeria’s involvement in this global initiative is critical.
She said, “Our participation supports both local and international efforts to end AIDS and brings us closer to a vaccine that could save countless lives across Africa and beyond.”
The Executive Director, International Research Centre of Excellence of IHVN, Prof. Alash’le Abimiku, said the mission of the BRILLIANT study is to harness and catalyze African scientists to contribute to an African-led effective HIV vaccine.
She said it is led predominantly by African women scientists and comprise a multi-disciplinary team.
She said the overall objective is to evaluate HIV vaccine candidates emanating from our continent. “First in Africa” (FIA) clinical development with existing immunogens, and HIV Vaccine Discovery medicine
, and ” to also rapidly evaluate “African” immunogens by doing discovery and pre-clinical evaluation utilizing mRNA technology evolving on our continent.”
Professor Abimiku, who also leads the study in Nigeria said, “This is true partnership that acknowledges the potential of great innovation and science from Africa to solve global health challenges especially those that disproportionally devastate the continent. We are very thrilled to partner with the government of Nigeria and colleagues from South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Mozambique in this endeavor”.
Dr Ezekiel James, the Deputy Director of the office of HIV/TB from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) , said the study offers the opportunity to collaborate with the government of Nigeria and stakeholders.
“USAID looks forward to the outcomes of this study and for the combined efforts to achieve HIV epidemic control, ” he said.
UNAIDS country director, Dr Leo Zekeng, harped on the need to engage the community to create awareness on HIV vaccines and similar researches that continues to break HIV transmission rates.
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