The Sudden Death of a Coral Reef - Response

Abstract

As articulated in our policy forum and by Zinkernagel, the development of an HIV vaccine is one of the most complex scientific challenges that modern biomedical research is confronting. However, it is exactly because this effort will be so difficult, and because we recognize that there are few blueprints for how to go about creating successful vaccines for organisms that have the characteristics that Zinkernagel describes, that we have proposed a more interactive systematic scientific approach organized to best support the science, both preclinical and clinical, required to make progress through experimentation. We strongly believe that basic scientific research should be conducted in coordination with well-planned clinical trials, in an iterative process that leads to incremental increase in knowledge and, eventually, to a safe and effective HIV vaccine. We do not believe that "hygienic measures, sufficient nutrition, chemotherapeutic agents … and serious … epidemiological surveys and prevention programs" alone will stop the HIV pandemic, especially in the poorest countries of the world, where 95% of all HIV infections are occurring. An HIV vaccine would be a powerful complement to these interventions and is essential to worldwide control of the pandemic. We, therefore, feel responsible to harness the power of science to accelerate its development.

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