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Study participants, investigators commended for advancing HIV vaccine research
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In 1984 — the same year that HIV was recognized as the cause of AIDS — then HHS Secretary Margaret Heckler announced that efforts were underway to develop and test an HIV vaccine, according to the NIH.
Three years later, the first clinical trial to assess an HIV vaccine was launched at the NIH. During the trial, the investigational gp160-subunit vaccine showed no signs of serious adverse events, the agency said. In time, however, the vaccine, along with many other promising candidates tested over the past 30 years, were found to be ineffective.
Today, numerous HIV vaccine candidates are currently in preclinical and clinical development, according to Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
“There are two major parallel approaches toward an HIV vaccine,” Fauci told Infectious Disease News. “The first is to improve upon and amplify a vaccine that was tested during the RV144 trial in Thailand. The vaccine was 31% effective, which was not good enough for being deployed as a vaccine for use but was good enough for us to begin developing correlates of immunity.”
The second major approach, Fauci said, is to develop immunogens that specifically induce broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs), which have been previously shown to prevent most HIV strains from infecting cells. Although the vaccine examined during RV144 offered some protection against HIV, it was unable to induce these bNAbs, Fauci said.
As the search for a safe and effective vaccine continues, Fauci recognized the important role of study volunteers and investigators.
“Years ago, we started HIV Vaccine Awareness Day to thank the volunteers for their altruism and willingness to participate in this very important endeavor,” he said. “Nothing we do in the form of clinical research would ever be possible without people who volunteer for studies. For that reason, we have a great deal of admiration and gratitude toward them.
“The investigators who devote their careers and lives to HIV vaccine research also need to be commended for their patience and unselfish investment of time. These are not quick-fix studies. Unlike some research, when you know the answer in a year or less, studying a vaccine takes years and years.” – by Stephanie Viguers
Disclosure: Fauci reports no relevant financial disclosures.