New Research on HIV Vaccines Presented in 2016 International Conference

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DURBAN, 19 Jul, 2016 (Xinhua) — Current and upcoming studies on preventive vaccines against Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection were presented at the 21st International Conference on AIDS, celebrated in Durban, South Africa.

Today at the conference, information was unveiled on the progress being made towards the development of new vaccines and on the Antibody Mediated Prevention (AMP) field, among the ongoing studies.

According to scientists, the results of internal immunology are paving the way for the first major study on the efficiency of an HIV vaccine in seven years.

At the conference, participants were briefed on the results of HVTN 100, a study conducted by Washington based HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) in partnership with research organizations in South Africa.

HVTN 100 tested the immune response of volunteers in a South African study of a modified version of the RV144 regime, the only HIV vaccine regime that has proven its efficiency so far.

The original the RV144 vaccine reduced the HIV infection rate by 31% among the participants of a study conducted in Thailand during a 3.5 years period.

“HVTN 100 used the same vaccines that were tested by RV144, but tailored them specifically for the HIV subtype Clade C, which has spread in South Africa. We also changed the adjuvant used with one of the vaccines in order to obtain a stronger immune response, and added a boost to extend the protection period,” said the chairperson of Protocol HVTN 100, Linda-Gail Bekker, who is also deputy director of the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre in Cape Town and the new president-elect of the International AIDS Society.

HVTN 100 authorized a Phase III efficacy trial in the modified regime of the RV144. The criterion for continuing was centered in the percentage of HVTN 100 vaccine recipients that presented a range of immune responses, and the strength of those responses.

Larry Corey, lead researcher at HVTN, explained: “It is gratifying to see that vaccines that were designed and produced specifically for South Africa meet and even exceed the established criteria to take them to a broader effectiveness level of testing. HVTN 702 is a crucial study that may result in a HIV vaccine, originally licensed in South Africa, to be the first preventive HIV vaccine worldwide.”