In August 2012, the DHVI was awarded a grant by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to establish a Research Protein Production Core Facility. The excess capacity of this Gates-funded Core is available to the Duke Community as a Service Center with cost recovery.
The facility is equipped to produce and purify, at cost, HIV-1 Env proteins as standardized in vitro reagents that can be used in HIV vaccine research. These reagents are intended to optimize clinical trial immune monitoring and facilitate Env immunogen discovery. Proteins are not intended for use in humans or in clinical trials. The PPF does not claim GMP/GLP status, but the facility operates on the principles and processes established for GMP/GLP facilities in that procedures, equipment, operator training, and documentation are governed by Standard Operating Procedures with oversight and auditing by the Quality Assurance for Duke Vaccine Immunogenicity Program.