A good start
New experimental HIV vaccine found effective
Natalia Pelezneva, Naked Science
An international group of scientists has announced the completion of phase 1/2a clinical trials of a vaccine against HIV-1, the most common and pathogenic type of HIV. The drug with a relatively small number of side effects allowed to cause the necessary immune response in healthy adults. The test results will allow us to move on to the next stages of the study with a large number of participants. A description of the clinical trial is published in The Lancet.
393 people from South and East Africa, Thailand and the USA aged 18 to 50 years took part in this phase of tests, all of them were not infected with HIV. In parallel, the drug was tested on 72 rhesus monkeys: the vaccine was supposed to protect animals from infection with the artificially created SHIV-SF162P3 virus containing HIV and monkey immunodeficiency virus (SIV) genes.
To prevent HIV, the authors of the study proposed using the "mosaic" vaccine Ad26.Mos.HIV containing various HIV antigens (gag, env and pol). When creating the drug, several HIV strains were used to increase the effectiveness of the vaccine. The test participants received this drug at the beginning of the study and at the twelfth week. The adenoviral vector Ad26 was used to deliver the necessary elements to the cells of the body. On the 24th and 48th week of testing, the volunteers were revaccinated using various combinations of drugs: separately gp140 protein (part of the HIV envelope), the original Ad26.Mos.HIV vaccine with or without gp140, MVA (Modified Vaccinia Ankara) vaccine with or without the same protein.
The most effective method was the primary vaccination of Ad26.Mos.HIV, followed by revaccination with the same drug in combination with high doses of gp140 protein. It significantly enhanced the activity of antibodies to HIV, the processes of phagocytosis (absorption and destruction of foreign material to the body) and the response of T cells. Among the side effects, the volunteers noted dizziness, diarrhea and back pain. In rhesus monkeys, this combination also proved to be the most effective: it protected 67% of animals from the virus.
The next stage of the research will involve 2,600 women from various high-risk groups of HIV infection. According to WHO, there are about 37 million people with HIV infection in the world.
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