Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what support his Department provides to research into finding a vaccine for HIV; and if he will make a statement.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) supports research into HIV/AIDS through the UK Research Councils who support a broad portfolio of research addressing different aspects of the disease. This includes research on vaccines and interventions.

Research supported by the Research Councils includes Medical Research Council (MRC) funded studies which aim to understand the mechanisms of HIV infection through to novel strategies for preventing and controlling infections through research on human behaviour and lifestyle. Research supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) includes an evaluation of the impact of health care schemes in Rwanda providing basic preventive and curative health care services and HIV/AIDS treatment in addition to Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded research on drug delivery and vaccine delivery technology involving nanomedicines.

Researchers are also using the Diamond Light Source to advance the understanding of how HIV and other retroviruses infect human cells and replicate to inform the development of better treatments. The Diamond Light Source is the UK’s national synchrotron, funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).

The UK is also a member of the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) which aims to accelerate the development of new or improved drugs, vaccines, microbicides and diagnostics against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other neglected diseases. In December 2014 the second phase of the partnership, EDCTP2 was launched aiming to contribute over 1billion euros over the next 10 years. Further information can be found at: http://www.edctp.org/