Friday, October 21, 2022
Advanced BioScience Laboratories (ABL), a global Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) for biotherapies, oncolytics and viral vector vaccines, announced it has been awarded a contract for "Preclinical and translational vaccine development for HIV and other candidate agents" by the Division of AIDS (DAIDS) within the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
According to the WHO, there are over 38 million individuals living with HIV worldwide. The development of a safe and efficacious HIV-1 vaccine remains one of the highest priorities of the NIAID. The purpose of this contract is to support the full range of activities for preclinical and translational support services from initial product discovery through full (CGMP) manufacturing and readiness for clinical trials and/or product licensure.
ABL & NIAID Partnership
The seven-year contract has a total potential funding value of $364.5 million. ABL will provide DAIDS with preclinical and translational development of promising vaccines and related products for HIV and other candidate agents. ABL will provide its portfolio of services that includes feasibility studies, process and assay development, cGMP production, safety and efficacy studies, and product release and stability testing.
ABL extensive viral vector development expertise
ABL's scientists have been supporting NIAIDs mission since the 1980s. The work started from co-discovery of HIV-1 and its characterization as the etiology of AIDS, to the development of the first diagnostic HIV-1 blood test (1984). Since then, ABL has been actively involved in ground-breaking research to detail the pathogenesis of HIV and develop therapeutics and vaccines against HIV. While drugs have allowed infected individuals to live with HIV, a vaccine is recognized as key to truly end the epidemic.
"We look forward to continuing to serve as the collaborative bridge between DAIDS and the most innovative investigators in the field supporting DAIDS's mission to prevent, treat, and cure HIV," said Timothy Fouts, Vice President of Innovation at ABL Inc.
