Professor Raghavan Varadrajan of the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, whose lab is part of IAVI's Neutralising Antibody Consortium (NAC), has been selected for the G.D. Birla Award for Scientific Research for 2008 for his significant contributions in the area of molecular biophysics.

Varadrajan's research includes the design of proteins intended for use as components of an AIDS vaccine.

His lab is among the 20 labs across the world in the NAC that work to create immunogens to provoke the body to produce broadly neutralizing antibodies to HIV so as to prevent infection with the virus.

Varadrajan's major work is on understanding the relationship between protein sequence, shape and stability. He has developed diverse experimental and computational tools to probe these shapes

and measure the strengths of various molecular interactions that help maintain the shape.

The award, instituted by the K.K. Birla Foundation in 1991, carries a cash prize of Rs 1.5 lakh. It is given to Indian scientists who live and work in India. A board, headed by the president of the Indian National Science Academy, selects the awardees. (Hindustan Times and IAVI)

A new study released at the 16th Con ference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Montreal, Canada, in February shows that a microbicide candidate or vaginal gel known as PRO2000, designed to lower the risk of HIV infection when applied before intercourse, appears to have a 30 per cent level of effectiveness in preventing HIV infection. The finding is promising, although not statistically significant, and additional evidence is needed to conclusively determine whether PRO2000 is an effective microbicide.

Data from the multi-site clinical trial, known as HPTN 035 and conducted by the

Microbicide Trials Network, showed that women who received the PRO2000 candidate plus condoms had 30 percent fewer HIV infections than those who received condoms or condoms plus a placebo gel.

According to Dr. Salim Abdool Karim of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa, "It's very exciting that PRO 2000 might have a positive effect. Now we need a trial that's big enough to show whether this is a statistically significant effect." Researchers conducting a separate efficacy trial of PRO2000 in South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, which is in its final

stages, will soon obtain more definitive data regarding the candidate's effectiveness. IAVI strongly supports the continued research and development of microbicides.

Millions of lives can be improved – or saved – by sharing the knowledge, resources and technology of the developed world with those who need it most. For myriad reasons, advances in health care and prevention often fail to find their way to the developing world. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organisation's Special Programme for Research and Training in

Tropical Diseases, Global Health Progress, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and the Association of University Technology Managers have joined together to form the Global Health Case Study Initiative. This groundbreaking project seeks to create efficiencies by collecting case studies that would provide others with information on current practices and insight on 'lessons learned'

(both positive and negative) in the course of conducting activities relating to global health matters. The case studies will highlight collaborations that are built and/or transactions that are entered into that address a global health concern. "Global health concern" refers to those diseases that have a disproportionate impact on developing countries but need not be the sole focus of the collaboration or transaction.