The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative released a statement congratulating the partners involved in the MDP 301 Phase III clinical trial of a vaginal microbicide on the successful conduct of the largest microbicide trial completed to date. IAVI said the trial itself provided other achievements that will help advance microbicide development and HIV prevention research generally. Please see the below attachment for the full statement.

According to a NIAID statement, an investigational vaginal gel that had demonstrated in earlier testing some potential for inhibiting male-to-female sexual transmission of HIV was ineffective when tested in a larger clinical trial. Please see the below attachment for the full statement.

The Microbicides Development Programme announced that its MDP 301 effectiveness trial, which was conducted among almost 9,400 women in four African countries, found no evidence that the PRO 2000 microbicide reduces the risk of HIV infection.

The Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise announced that the Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University and the Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, will serve as Local Hosts for AIDS Vaccine 2011, the largest and most important global scientific conference focused on AIDS vaccine research. AIDS Vaccine 2011will be held 12-15 September 2011 in Bangkok, Thailand.  The full announcement is below.

IN THE LIFE, a public television documentary series, released a special World AIDS Day episode entitled "Creating Solutions." This episode includes a special segment on the search for an AIDS vaccine. It features interviews with Anthony Fauci and Gary Nabel from the NIH; Sarah Schlesinger from Rockefeller University and Mitchell Warren of AVAC. If you live in the US, visit the following link to find out when the episode will air on your local station: http://www.inthelifetv.org/html/schedule.shtml.

The International AIDS Society in collaboration with the Centers for AIDS Research Program, U.S. National Institutes of Health, request concept proposals for a research grant program for early career investigators with no prior experience in HIV research. Please click the below link to learn more about the Creative and Novel Ideas in Research Awards Program.

To read the IAVI statement on World AIDS Day, please click the below link.

Alan Bernstein, executive director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise and Jeannette Kagame, First Lady of the Republic of Rwanda and high representative of African AIDS Vaccine Programme, wrote a Guest Column for the special World AIDS Day edition of the Financial Times, which focused on the need for greater global collaboration, investments and more effective partnerships between the North and South. The full column is available below.

Mark Wainberg, the Director of the McGill University AIDS Centre, wrote an editorial for the Windsor Star applauding Canada in its early support of AIDS vaccine research and urging its continued leadership as a technical and funding partner. Click below for the full editorial.

Mitchell Warren, Executive Director of AVAC, wrote a piece for the Huffington Post calling for the celebration of the possibility of an AIDS vaccine. Please click here to read the piece http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mitchell-warren/celebrating-the-possible_b....