The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) is a global organisation working to accelerate the research, development and distribution of preventive AIDS vaccines - the world's best hope for blunting and ultimately ending the AIDS epidemic.

In December 2000, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) to develop a preventive, safe, effective and accessible AIDS vaccine.

AIDS vaccine development faces unprecedented scientific challenges. A conservative estimate of how long this process may take is between 8 to 10 years before a final product is ready for manufacturing. AIDS vaccine research and development requires long-term commitment.

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Several candidates including Modified Vaccinia Ankara (TBC-M4) and Adeno Associated Virus (tgAAC09) vaccines will be tested for safety and immunogenicity. The AAV vaccine is manufactured by Targeted Genetics Corporation, Seattle. Therion Biologics, of Cambridge, Massachusetts has developed the MVA vaccine. The first clinical trial began in February 2005 with tgAAC09 at the National AIDS Research Institute, Pune following ethical and regulatory approvals in India.

Decisions to proceed depend on the safety and immunogenicity data generated in pre-clinical studies as well as in Phase I trials in India and in other countries. This trial is part of a multi-centre Phase I AAV-based AIDS vaccine clinical trial being conducted in four European sites, two each in Belgium and Germany. As new vaccine candidates are developed, they maybe added or withdrawn from the clinical pipeline to search for an effective AIDS vaccine.

AIDS vaccine research and development is a global international effort where scientific information generated by participating countries will benefit the search for an effective preventive AIDS vaccine - the best hope for a world without AIDS.