The University of Hong Kong (HKU) announced Thursday that it has received a 100,000 U.S. dollars Grand Challenges Explorations grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to do research on AIDS vaccine.

The grant will support an innovative research project about a study of a new type of AIDS vaccine conducted by Dr. Zhiwei Chen, Director of the AIDS Institute at the university's Faculty of Medicine. The institute was established with a mission to make scientific discoveries and provide solutions to end the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Chen said that this is one of the most important research grants they have received since the establishment of the institute in 2007. The funding will allow them to conduct innovative research projects on AIDS vaccine at HKU immediately.

The project aims to work on a new vaccine for AIDS which is capable of inducing neutralizing antibodies against HIV-1 sexual transmission, the major risk factor of AIDS pandemic.

Chen's project is one of the 104 grants announced by the Gates Foundation for the first funding round of Grand Challenges Explorations.

Grand Challenges Explorations is a five-year 100 million U.S. dollars initiative of the Gates Foundation to help scientists around the world explore bold, new solutions for health challenges in developing countries.

The Gates foundation was founded by Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft Corporation, and his wife in year 2000.

(Xinhua News Agency October 24, 2008)