ABOUT THE LAB
The Cape Town HVTN Immunology Laboratory (CHIL) opened in October 2013. The lab performs assessments of immune responses to candidate HIV vaccines being tested in South Africa and neighbouring countries. Currently, the majority of work being conducted at the lab is in support of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) whose goal is to develop a safe, effective vaccine for prevention of HIV infections globally. The HVTN’s headquarters are based in Seattle, WA, USA at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.
In addition to conducting state-of-the-art immunological research, CHIL offers training opportunities for African scientists, with a special focus on clinical laboratory research and advanced lab techniques.
CHIL is a division of the Hutchinson Centre Research Institute of South Africa, NPC (HCRISA). HCRISA was established in 2012 to support clinical, laboratory and other research in Southern Africa, aimed at the prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment of HIV/AIDS, TB, and other infectious diseases. It is a subsidiary of the Seattle, WA, USA-based Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center.
CHIL currently receives generous funding from the NIH Division of AIDS, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the South African Medical Research Council.