The latest HIV vaccine study began Thursday in Los Angeles. It’s a new type of vaccine that may help prevent and control the infection.
This study is a collaboration between UCLA and AIDS Research Alliance of America. The National Institutes of Health-funded study is looking at two experimental vaccines that may have two objectives: Reducing the amount of virus in an infected person’s system and delaying the onset of illness, even if it does not prevent an HIV infection
"For every two people put on HIV drugs, there are seven new infections. The virus continues to outpace our ability to fight it and vaccines have historically been the best tool for stopping infectious disease of this magnitude," said Dr. Stephen J. Brown, Medical Director at AIDS Research Alliance.
Researchers say previous vaccines have failed for many different reasons, including the fact that the virus is able to resist different treatments. Even if this vaccine does not prove to be 100 percent effective, it will advance our ability to fight the disease
The study will enroll 1,350 HIV-negative men, between the ages of 18 and 45, who report that they are having sex with men.
The recent success of the HIV vaccine tested in Thailand is cause for hope that this vaccine will be successful since the Thai vaccines used the same strategy; hitting different areas of the virus and attempting to boost the immune system's ability to fight it.
"Safety is always our top priority, and the design of HVTN 505 reflects this,” said Brown.
Key safety considerations built into this study include:
- The vaccine used in this study cannot cause HIV infection.
- All participants will receive the best available prevention services, including risk reduction assessment and counseling, condoms, and access to local prevention services.
- The protocol team for this study includes HVTN study investigators and study site staff, among them clinic coordinators, community educators and Community Advisory Board members, as well as staff from the Division of AIDS, part of NIAID.
The trial will be conducted in trial sites located in 12 cities across the U.S.
