September 2011 DAIDS Council-Approved Concepts

Concepts represent early planning stages for program announcements, requests for applications, or solicitations for Council's input. If NIAID publishes an initiative from one of these concepts, we link to it below. To find initiatives, go to the Opportunities and Announcements portal.

NB: Council approval does not guarantee that a concept will become an initiative.

Table of Contents

• Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS)
• Integrated Preclinical/Clinical Program for HIV Topical Microbicides
• HIV Vaccine Research and Design
• Nonhuman Primate Core Laboratory: Functional Genomics
• Simian Vaccine Evaluation Units

Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS)

For the published request for applications, see the November 29, 2011, Guide announcement, Limited Competition - Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS-V).

Integrated Preclinical/Clinical Program for HIV Topical Microbicides

Request for Applications

Contact: Jim Turpin

Objective:

• Stimulating a strong and diverse base in preclinical discovery and development of novel single microbicides, combination microbicides, and microbicide strategies for vaginal, rectal, and/or penile use.
• Support for translating novel microbicides and microbicide strategies from preclinical studies to pre-phase I clinical trials.
• Facilitating entry of new methods and expertise into microbicide development such as:
  1. Integrating behavioral research into the early stages of microbicide development.
  2. Modulating innate and adaptive vaginal defenses to promote microbicide use that is associated with coitus.
  3. Validating models and surrogate markers for safety, efficacy, and acceptability.
  4. Developing new biomedical methods to determine adherence. 

Description: This initiative will support the broad range of research necessary to advance well-characterized microbicide leads and strategies into clinical studies. Specific types of supportable research include:

1. Developing new single or combination microbicides for vaginal, rectal, and penile use.
2. Identifying and validating new microbicide targets and strategies.
3. Integrating microbicides with other prevention strategies.
4. Developing new and optimizing existing delivery methods with the aim of creating long-lasting, minimal dosing, coital-disassociated microbicides.
5. Exploring the relationship between behavioral and social factors affecting adherence and acceptability, and the biophysical properties of formulated microbicides.
6. Pre-phase I trials to study the pharmacology, distribution, and effect of microbicides on the female reproductive tract mucosa and GI tract mucosa. 

HIV Vaccine Research and Design

For the published program announcement, see the January 31, 2012, Guide announcement, HIV Vaccine Research and Design (HIVRAD) Program.

Nonhuman Primate Core Laboratory: Functional Genomics

For the published request for proposals, see the May 14, 2012, solicitation, Nonhuman Primate Core Functional Genomics Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine Research and Development.

Simian Vaccine Evaluation Units

For the published request for proposals, see the June 6, 2012, solicitation.