European Microbicides Project (EMPRO)
The European Microbicides Project is a consortium of 35 principal investigators from institutions including SMEs in Europe and Africa. EMPRO has been funded by the European Commission as part of the Sixth Framework Programme in the area of "Confronting the major communicable diseases linked to poverty." EMPRO aims to develop a pipeline of microbicides and enter the first candidates of this pipeline into Phase 1 clinical trials. The candidates will be new topical microbicides with defined molecular targets that block the entry of HIV at mucosal sites, specifically the vagina. These microbicides are being developed for women in the developing world in an attempt to give women greater choice and control over their health. For more information about EMPRO, visit: http://www.iiq.cartuja.csic.es/grupocarb/empro.htm.
International Working Group on Microbicides (IWGM)
The International Working Group on Microbicides, established in 1994, facilitates coordination and cooperation between major governmental and non-governmental organizations involved in planning, funding, regulating, and implementing microbicide development. Its membership includes representatives from both industrialized and developing countries. IWGM also seeks to establish consensus on important issues. IWGM is funded by UNAIDS, CONRAD, NIH, and WHO. Current representation: AIDS Society of India; Alliance for Microbicide Development; CONRAD; European Commission; European Medicines Agency; Family Health International; French National Agency for AIDS Research; Indian Council of Medical Research; Institute of Tropical Medicine; International Partnership for Microbicides; Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS; Population Council; Program for Appropriate Technology in Health; South African Medical Research Council; United Kingdom Medical Research Council; United Nations Population Fund; US Agency for International Development; US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; US Food and Drug Administration; US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH; US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH; US Office of AIDS Research, NIH; World Health Organization. For further information, contact Dr. Alan Stone, Chairman, International Working Group on Microbicides, 38 Hollycroft Avenue, London NW3 7QN, England; Tel and Fax: +44 (0)20 7431 8532; Email: alan.stoneX@virgin.net.
Microbicides Development Programme (MDP)
The Microbicides Development Programme is a partnership set up to develop vaginal microbicides for the prevention of HIV transmission, funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) through the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) and administered by the MRC Clinical Trials Unit and Imperial College London. The ultimate goal of the MDP is to complete Phase 3 effectiveness trials of a candidate microbicide in Africa. The MDP aims to evaluate potential microbicides in vitro, to carry out safety studies in the UK and Africa, to conduct social science research into acceptability and barriers to uptake of products, to complete Phase 3 effectiveness trials, and to facilitate marketing and access to a successful microbicide. For more information about MDP, visit: www.mdp.mrc.ac.uk/.
Microbicide Trials Network (MTN)
The Microbicide Trials Network, based at the Magee-Womens Research Institute of the University of Pittsburgh, is a worldwide collaborative clinical trials network that evaluates the safety and efficacy of microbicides designed to prevent the transmission of HIV. The mission of the MTN is to reduce the sexual transmission of HIV through the development and evaluation of microbicide products. Established by the Division of AIDS of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in 2006, in partnership with other collaborating institutes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the MTN carries out its mission through a strong network of expert scientists and investigators from domestic and international sites. The MTN conducts scientifically rigorous and ethically sound clinical trials which support licensure of topical microbicide products. The MTN plans to develop and/or execute 15 separate clinical trials of microbicides between 2006 and 2013. For more information about the MTN, visit: www.mtnstopshiv.org.
