 |
| |
| Media contacts: Holly Korschun, 404/727-3990, hkorsch@emory.edu |
|
ATLANTA-- The Minnesota AIDS Trek, the nation's longest-running AIDS fundraiser on bicycles, has announced that the Emory Vaccine Center will become the new primary beneficiary for this year's event. The 175-mile 2003 AIDS Trek will be held from August 1-3 in Maplewood, Minnesota. The AIDS Trek's local (Minnesota) beneficiaries for 2003 are AIDS Care Partners, Aliveness Project, District 202, Open Arms of Minnesota, and Top Shelf, all located within the Twin Cities area. The Emory Vaccine Center is among the nation's leading research centers developing vaccines and related technologies to prevent infectious diseases, especially HIV. An HIV vaccine developed at Emory and the NIH, widely considered to be one of the most promising HIV vaccine candidates, is currently being tested in human clinical trials. Emory scientists also are developing related vaccine candidates they hope will soon enter clinical trials in other areas of the world with varying strains of HIV. The Minnesota AIDS Trek, now in its 17th year, has pledged to return at least 90 percent of fundraising directly to its beneficiaries, which it has done in the past. This return rate is one of the highest of all AIDS fundraising events held throughout the United States. Last year, more than 100 AIDS Trek riders raised $40,000 for the events' nonprofit beneficiaries. Interested bicycle riders can register at AIDS Trek's official website, http://www.aids-trek.org. |