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"The widespread use of existing vaccines and the development of new vaccines are essential as we confront vaccine-preventable diseases globally," says Dr. Fauci.

Based on the success of VAP, several other NIH institutes and another agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have signed similar bilateral agreements with the government of India.

"These collaborations clearly benefit both countries and the global biomedical and public health research community more broadly," notes Dr. Glass.

Many VAP-supported research projects have directly addressed critical health problems. Rotavirus is responsible for about 20 percent of diarrhea-related hospitalizations and 100,000 deaths in India each year. With VAP funding, Indian and American scientists discovered novel strains of rotavirus in Indian newborns. Further research confirmed that when these strains are used as a basis for candidate vaccines, the vaccines might protect against the disease. Drs. Bhan and Glass developed the candidate vaccine, which is being tested in large-scale clinical trials in India.

Other successful collaborations include the development of a new hepatitis C diagnostic test for Indian patients. As a demonstration of the programs commitment to move from discovery to public health impact, VAP also will assist the commercial development of these diagnostic measures. This is especially important because currently available diagnostic methods that are reasonably effective in the United States have shown low specificity in India.

Recently, three VAP scientific missions to India discussed cooperation on HIV/AIDS, rabies and malaria. Since rabid animal bites and rabies-related human deaths are common in India, U.S. e
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Contact: Sitara Maruf
marufs@niaid.nih.gov
301-402-1663
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
8-May-2007