New Experimental HIV Vaccine Shows Promise in Early Human Trials

A critical component of the human immune response in 97 percent of vaccine recipients is caused by positive early results of an HIV vaccine.

It was a small, phase 1 trial testing a vaccine that was made out of an engineered version of aprotein that exists on the HIV virus The particle was designed to get the body ready to produce broadly neutralizing antibodies, which are critical to creating immunity against HIV.

It is necessary to provide immunity to the HIV virus because it is frequently changed.

Forty-eight participants either received the vaccine candidate or a placebo, and 35 out of 36 of those dosed with the vaccine candidate showed the first step on the way to immunity.

William Schief is one of the authors of the study. Schief is a professor in the department.

There are only a few patches on the surface of the HIV spike that have not changed. "We're trying to elicit very specific antibodies that have very specific properties that allow them to bind to those patches."

In the phase 1 study, there were no serious side effects and the side effects like pain at the injection site or headaches were mild to moderate.

The results were published in the journal Science on December 1st, 2022, which was World AIDS Day, and first appeared in the virtual conference hosted by the International AIDS Society HIV Research for Prevention. The trial was run by two organizations.

Researchers have been trying to create an HIV vaccine for nearly 40 years

It's hard to get a vaccine against HIV. The tendency of HIV to change is part of the reason. The immune system can be avoided by making itself harder to recognize.

Only a few high-profile cases have been cured of their HIV infections. We don't know what kind of immune cells can protect us against infections.

This vaccine will be the first in a series of shots that will train the immune system. As the shots progress, the molecule gets closer and closer to the actual HIV viruses until it can bind to many different types of HIV.

That is a new way of thinking about making a vaccine.

Moderna is developing its HIV vaccine based on similar research

According to Schief, his team is currently working with Moderna to develop and test a vaccine to deliver the immune-training HIV particles via mRNA. The same particle and another engineered particle are being tested in a phase 1 study. The same particle is being tested in Africa.

There is no guarantee that the vaccine will work in trials, according to Schief.

It could be used to make other vaccines, like a universal coronaviruses or flu vaccine.

Even if it only helps HIV, we're optimistic that this approach may be helpful for more than that.

The original article was published by Business Insider.