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NEW YORK, Mar 06 (Reuters Health) - A clinical trial of an AIDS vaccine designed to target the strain of HIV most common in East Africa began in Nairobi Tuesday with the inoculation of the first study volunteers, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) announced.
The development of the subtype A vaccine--being conducted by IAVI, the Medical Research Council's human immunology unit at University of Oxford in the UK and the University of Nairobi in Kenya--began in order to address the unmet medical need the HIV strain presented, an IAVI spokesman said.
"There's been a number of (AIDS) vaccines tested in humans, but until now (they) have focused on subtype B, which is the strain most popular in industrialized nations," he said. "This is the first vaccine that's been tested in humans that is specifically designed for subtype A."
Testing of this vaccine first began last August in Oxford, England. All 18 patients in the trial have been inoculated and are under observation, the spokesman told Reuters Health.
The DNA vaccine is one part of a novel two-part "prime-boost" vaccination strategy. The other part is a "modified vaccinia Ankara-strain" that is intended to be used in combination with the DNA vaccine.
The rationale for this approach comes from studies of sex workers in Nairobi, some of whom have resisted infection over many years. Researchers hope this vaccine will stimulate the same strong cellular immune response to HIV that they have seen in these women.
"We are excited that trials have begun in Nairobi for this approach. Our research indicates that this vaccine has a very good chance of stimulating cellular immune responses to HIV," said Prof. Andrew McMichael, head of the Medical Research Council's human immunology unit. "Research also suggests that white blood cells activated by the vaccine can destroy virus-infected cells. For HIV, this approach may be more effective than the traditional vaccine approach of stimulating antibodies."
IAVI has five different AIDS vaccines under development with various partners, including a program with Seattle-based Targeted Genetics. According to the spokesman, vaccine development trials for subtype C, the HIV strain most common in China and India, will begin later this month in those countries.
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