Our Scientific Mission

Since 1984, when HIV was identified as the cause of AIDS, the development of a preventive HIV vaccine has been a goal for the scientific community. The HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) was established to foster cooperation of researchers worldwide and to help streamline the scientific process of HIV vaccine development. Our goal is to develop safe and effective preventive HIV vaccines that will work everywhere on the globe, against all strains of HIV, in all people. We hope to achieve this by focusing upon:

• an international clinical trials program that will evaluate novel vaccine candidates
• development of vaccines which promote immune responses to circulating strains of HIV
• development of laboratory tests which can quantify the body's response to a vaccine
• development of laboratory tests which can produce accurate results across a large number of unique individuals
• the impact of vaccination on subsequent HIV infection, including controlling viral load, minimizing the effects of HIV infection by slowing the progression from infection to AIDS, and reducing the probability of transmission of HIV infection
• establishment of a close link between vaccine studies in humans and in animals