[Memorandum to Presidential Advisory Council on HIV and AIDS Research Committee Members from Bruce G. Weniger]

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PHONE NO. " 01483 560074

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* an immunology unit to devise new tests for virus efficacy for in vitro
assays, to find correlates for immunogenicity in humans using small
animals/primates and to discover how the immune system works with
regard to the provision of protection against this class of virus.
There would also be a suite of support units consisting of:
* a computation and statistical unil
* workshop units for equipment innovation and maintenance of existing
equipment and facilities
* glassware and equipment clean, prepare and sterilise unit
* stores
* laundry
* medium preparation for cell and bacterial culture
* animal cell culture preparation facility for routine use and assays
* high security laboratory facilities which could handle and process
pathogenic viruses which includes complete inactivation of solid, liquid
and gaseous wastes
* a virus security unit which would monitor and control activities so as to
prevent the vaccine developers becoming infected as well as protecting the
outside world from the release of infectious virus (for example; by an
infected primate)
a clinical unit for the administration of the vaccines to humans and the
evaluation of their efficacy
* a series of animal holding units in which tests on small non-primate
animals, small primates and large primates can be effected
* an information resource centre based on a specialist and fully
comprehensive library with electronic links to the web
* an administration and site security facility
* facilities to engage with consultants and outside experts and to hold such
meetings of scientific and technical staff as necessitated by the work
4. The Implementation of a Vaccine Discovery and Developmental Facility.
This will entail the creation of a new institute whose sole and principle objective would
be the discovery and development of a vaccine protective against AIDS.
* It is clear from the range of activities it is necessary to bring together to
generate a new vaccine that such an objective is most effectively served by
bringing all the component parts under a single roof on a single site.
* As the primate experiments will constitute a major proportion of the
totality of the activities it would be judicious to site the discovery and
development operation juxtaposed to an existing and large primate facility.
* In view of the bureaucratic difficulties in transforming an existing research
institute into an AIDS vaccine institute it would be advantageous to begin a

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