New NIAID grants for biotech HIV programs
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases launched a new initiative, the Strategic Program for Innovative Research on AIDS Treatment (SPIRAT), to accelerate the development of therapies for HIV. First-year grants totalling $6.2 million will support six research teams, each coupling companies with investigators from separate U.S. institutions. The teams will receive funding for four years, with early human studies to commence, at the latest, by the third year of the awards.
Targeted Genetics Corp. (TGEN) and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle are engaged in two projects. One includes two Phase I trials using HIV-specific CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) modified with TGEN's HyTK safety gene. The primary goals are to examine the general safety of reinfusing HIV-specific CTLs; the persistence of the CD8 CTLs; and the effect of CTL administration on HIV viral burden. ...