Diary Prequel Package — page 218

Sept. 21, 2009 - More good news. Pediatric H1N1 clinical trials showed good responses at 8 to 10 days with 1 dose of 15 ugs in kids 9 to 17 and lesser response in kids younger - just like seasonal flu vaccine. I led a press briefing. Sept. 24, 2009 - Roll-out of the Thai trial results. 31.2% efficacy; p - 0.039. 16,000 in randomized trial in relatively low risk heterosexuals in Thailand. 74 infections in placebo, 51 infections in vaccines. Press ate it up. The usual suspects who wrote the 2004 Science letter criticizing my decision to fund the trial made comments either for attribution or "anonymously" that they were not impressed and probably thought that it was a fluke (John Moore, Ronald Desrosiers, etc.) I was very reserved in putting it into perspective as this not at all being the "end game", but an important start since this was the first time in over 2 decades that we have gotten even the slightest positive signal in any HIV/AIDS vaccine. The lack of major immune parameters, i.e. neutralizing abs and CTLs tell me what I suspected all along that we are probably not looking at the right measures of immunity. Of note the vaccine had no effect on viral load of those that did get infected. Since this was not H1N1 and since Jenny Backus probably does not even know what HIV is, I was given blanket clearance for the Press. I had the most media exposure that I have had since the anthrax situation. Front page or prominent coverage in all major print media (NY Times, Wash Post, AP, Reuters, etc. Also, prominent appearances on every TV outlet - NBC Nightly News with Bob Bazell, CBS Evening News; ABC World News Tonight, Wolf Blitzer Situation Room on CNN; Fox News; Canadian TV; BBC; Bloomberg; World News with Katty Kay; Radio - NPR - All Things Considered; WTOP Sept. 29, 2009 - Bono/U2 concert at FedEx stadium. Logistic disaster for me. I was invited by Bono to attend the concert and be present at a reception in the "Round Room" of the FedEx stadium before he was scheduled to go on at 8:30 PM. I was very busy in the office preparing for the visit to the NIH the next day of Sec. Sebelius and President Obama. By the time Chris and I drove to the stadium we got caught in 2 hours of traffic and a disaster trying to get parking in the stadium lots. I missed the reception, did not see Bono. He probably thought that I did not show and so he did not do what he has done several times with concerts and appearances which is to point me out in the audience and praise me. Too bad, but that is the way it goes sometime. Sept. 30, 2009 - Wonderful day at NIH. POTUS came in the AM with the Secretary, Bill Corr (Deputy Secretary) and Francis. Marston Linehan and I showed him a lab in the new CRC. First Marston spoke about the genetics of renal cancer and then Francis spoke about the cancer genome atlas. I then spoke to the POTUS about the history of HIV research here in the Clinical Center. I spoke about how I admitted the first AIDS patients in 1981 and how they all died. I then spoke about the major advances in antiretroviral drug development and testing that has transformed the treatment and survival of HIVinfected individuals. I spoke about the recent results of the Thai HIV vaccine trial. He was very engaging, pleasant, funny but serious about the subject. He definitely now has fixed in his mind who I am. When I told him that I had been here since 1968, he joked