NEW DELHI, Feb. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Aeras, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing vaccines against tuberculosis (TB), will highlight the progress being made in TB vaccine research at the 5^th Global Forum on TB Vaccines in New Delhi, India, February 20-23, 2018. Presentations will include new data from Aeras's advancing portfolio of TB vaccines, including data from four clinical-stage candidates.

Ann Ginsberg, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer at Aeras and a member of the organizing committee for the 5^th Global Forum on TB Vaccines, said: "We and our partners will share a range of new data at the 5^th Global Forum on TB Vaccines, highlighting the scientific progress being made to develop potential new vaccines against TB, the world's leading cause of death from an infectious disease."

Over the past decade, more than a dozen new TB vaccine candidates have been tested in human clinical trials around the world. Serving as a critical translational bridge from the bench to the field, Aeras has sponsored and conducted over 55 clinical and epidemiological studies in 15 different countries. It has worked with partners to develop new approaches to R&D and new tools, such as the Controlled Human Infection Model. In addition, Aeras has contributed to preclinical research efforts by creating improved animal models of disease to facilitate and enhance initial screening for promising TB vaccine candidates.

First Data from Innovative Prevention-of-Infection Phase 2 Clinical Trial

Results will be presented for the first time from the Phase 2 prevention-of-infection clinical trial evaluating H4:IC31, a subunit vaccine candidate, and revaccination with Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), the world's only commercially available TB vaccine. The study was conducted to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine regimens, as well as their ability to prevent initial and sustained TB infections among healthy adolescents in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.

Additional Clinical-Stage TB Vaccine Portfolio Data

Data will also be presented on other clinical-stage TB vaccines, including:

• Data from a Phase 1/2a clinical trial evaluating the safety and immunogenicity of various dose regimens of H56:IC31 in HIV-negative adults with and without latent TB infection.
• Follow-up data from a Phase 1 clinical study, evaluating the ability of the GLA-SE adjuvant to improve the magnitude and quality of immune response to the ID93 vaccine. This study was the first in which the ID93 vaccine was tested in humans.
• Data from a Phase 1b trial evaluating different doses of the ID93+GLA-SE vaccine for use in TB endemic countries.
• Learnings associated with the impact of implementing an effective community engagement strategy on retention rates in a Phase 2b prevention-of-disease study for the M72 vaccine in South Africa, Zambia and Kenya.

Note to Editors

A full list of abstracts associated with research conducted and/or funded by Aeras to be presented at the 5^th Global Forum on TB Vaccines is as follows:

(Note: All 5^th Global Forum presentations and posters will take place within the Taj Diplomatic Enclave Hotel (formerly Taj Palace), located at 2 Sardar Patel Marg, Diplomatic Enclave, New Delhi. The times provided are in India Standard Time.)

About Aeras

Aeras is a nonprofit organization advancing the development of new tuberculosis vaccines for the world in partnership with other biotech, pharmaceutical and academic organizations. Aeras is primarily funded by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK Department for International Development (DFID), and other parties committed to ending the TB epidemic. Aeras also receives support from the U.S. government and through partnerships and collaborations with universities and pharmaceutical companies around the world. Aeras is headquartered in Rockville, Maryland (USA), with a clinical development and operations office in Cape Town, South Africa. For more information, please visit www.aeras.org.

Aeras is a lead organizing partner of the 5^th Global Forum on TB Vaccines.

For more information, contact:
Jennie Willson at jwillson@aeras.org  or +1 301-547-2840

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SOURCE Aeras