News Release

GlaxoSmithKline Drug Discovery and Development Research Grant Program 2003

$500,000 in research grants to be awarded to selected researchers working toward breakthroughs in HIV/AIDS drug therapies

Grant and Award Announcement

Public Communications Inc.

Research Triangle Park, NC (April 10, 2003) - GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) will award $500,000 in grants for innovative HIV/AIDS drug research in recognition of the need to produce new alternatives and hope in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Applications are now being solicited for 2003 research grants and must be submitted by July 31. The one-time research grants range from $25,000 to $150,000 and are intended to further the development of inventive treatments for HIV/AIDS, including:

  • therapies aimed at treating infection,
  • prophylactic vaccines, or
  • microbicides designed to prevent transmission of the virus.

For detailed information about the GSK Drug Discovery and Development Research Grant Program, as well as an application, please call 1-888-527-6935 or visit www.dddresearchgrant.com.

"It has been gratifying to fund such innovative research and to recognize researchers - here and internationally - of this caliber," said Doug Manion, M.D., vice president of clinical development for GSK. "We've been very pleased with the diversity of the projects submitted, which have ranged from research on protein recognition to the molecular virology of HIV integration, and believe the grants provide us with a way to demonstrate our commitment to scientific research investigating the mysteries of HIV and AIDS."

Since the inception of the Drug Discovery and Development Research Grant Program in 2001, GSK has honored nine researchers for their groundbreaking work toward new pharmaceutical strategies to combat the HIV virus.

The research grant carries no obligation to the recipient's organization for licensure, patenting or transfer of confidential information, although GSK may discuss the possibility of future collaboration with some applicants.

An Expert Review Board composed of acknowledged leaders in the field of HIV/AIDS will independently judge and choose the grant recipients. Although GSK will have access to the applications, including proposals, it will not be involved in the selection of recipients.

For purposes of the grant program, the judges will define "drug discovery and development" as one or more of the following:

  • The development of an assay against a novel and specific HIV target.
  • Screening of compounds against an established assay.
  • Pre-clinical in vitro and in vivo potency and toxicology studies.
  • Translational studies of novel therapies.

Judges will employ the following definition of "novel" and "innovative research":

  • Uses new paradigms to approach clinical problems.
  • Develops techniques or assays to new targets.
  • Adapts existing methods or models developed in other disciplines to solve clinical problems in HIV/AIDS.

The research proposals will be considered according to: potential importance to the field and health in general, originality, appropriateness of the methodology and scope of the project, and the researchers' ability to conduct the proposed research.

Projects submitted for consideration likely will be in an early stage and not yet sufficiently developed for a major research grant, but if successful, may qualify for major funding in future years. The Drug Discovery and Development Research Grant is to be awarded for research that is independent of any affiliation with or funding from other companies. The applicant must declare other funding or sponsorship sources in the Drug Discovery and Development Research Grant application.

Research grant recipients will be announced in September 2003 at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) in Chicago. The grants will be paid Nov. 1, 2003.

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GlaxoSmithKline is a pharmaceutical industry leader in HIV research and therapies. The company is engaged in basic research programs designed to investigate new targets to treat HIV. In addition to GlaxoSmithKline's Drug Discovery and Development Research Grant Program, the company also provides grants to community based organizations that provide services to those whose lives are most affected by HIV.


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