[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 48 (Thursday, March 22, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E429]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING AERAS AND THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS 
      DISEASES (NIAID) OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (NIH)

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 22, 2012

  Mr. VAN HOILEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Aeras and the 
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the 
National Institutes of Health (NIH) for their innovative partnership to 
conduct clinical trial research on a tuberculosis vaccine candidate. 
Aeras and NIAID are leveraging established NIAID-funded clinical trial 
networks in Africa including the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN), the 
HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) and the International Maternal 
Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Network (IMPAACT) to 
accelerate a multi-center Phase II clinical trial of a tuberculosis 
vaccine candidate.
  The two partners are working together in a novel way that capitalizes 
on existing infrastructure and displays responsible stewardship of U.S. 
government resources. The partnership also showcases the innovative 
capacity of U.S.-based researchers and the willingness of the American 
people to engage in solving global health problems such as the TB 
epidemic.
  Tuberculosis is the second leading infectious disease killer 
worldwide, taking the lives of 1.4 million children, women and men each 
year. It is extremely deadly for people living with HIV. As drug-
resistant strains of tuberculosis evade the best tools we have to fight 
this disease, new tuberculosis vaccines hold promise to finally help 
eliminate this disease as a public health problem in a cost-effective 
way.
  Aeras is a nonprofit product development partnership leading efforts 
to develop new vaccines against tuberculosis, with laboratory, vaccine 
manufacturing and office facilities in Rockville, MD. Aeras works 
globally with partners in government, foundations, academia and 
industry to advance the world's most promising TB vaccine candidates. I 
am proud to serve the Congressional district where both Aeras and NIH 
are engaging in cutting-edge research at the forefront of solving 
devastating health problems. I hope to see the continuation and 
expansion of important research partnerships that hold promise to save 
millions of lives, create a world free from TB and secure our country's 
place at the forefront of world-class research.

                          ____________________