Early research suggests that an experimental HIV vaccine can induce the immune system response needed to produce broadly neutralizing antibodies against the virus. Science It was published in the 2nd issue of the journal.
This is the first study to show that a vaccine is effective in humans.
Juliana McElrath’s team at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center studied 48 healthy adults who received either two doses of the HIV vaccine or two doses of a placebo.
Of the 36 participants who received the vaccine, 35 showed significant increases in rare immune system cells, precursors to broadly neutralizing antibodies to HIV.
The research team said, “The results are a proof of concept that a vaccine can induce this response.”
Scientists have been working to develop an HIV vaccine since the 1980s.
Through years of research on exactly how bnAbs interact with HIV, scientists have developed a new generation of vaccine candidates at various stages of development.
A new study tested one of these, called the ‘eOD-GT8 60mer’.
It is an engineered immunogen, a substance that induces an immune response.
It is designed to stimulate and expand certain rare B cells that have the potential to produce HIV-fighting bnAbs.
Among the 36 people who received the vaccine, there were no safety concerns.
All but one showed the immune response expected by the research team.
The team points out that this is just the first step in a complex process.
The research team is conducting another small clinical trial in healthy volunteers.
“These results establish a clinical proof-of-concept for a germline-targeted vaccine design priming strategy, support development of boosting therapies to generate VRC01 family bnAb responses to HIV, and target germline targets to other targets in HIV and other pathogens,” said the research team. It encourages the application of the strategy,” he concluded.
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