After Covid, Oxford Scientists Target HIV; Human Trials Of Vaccine Begins

The purpose of human trials is to assess the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of the vaccine. Human trials of HIV vaccine aim to crush the virus that causes AIDS.

Scientists at Oxford University are testing the HIV vaccine given its success against Covid-19. The first phase of human trials that began this week will include 13 HIV-negative adults aged 18-65 years as they are not considered to be at high risk of infection. During the first phase, participants will initially take one dose of the HIV vaccine, and they will be given an additional booster dose four weeks later

The scientists will then take their blood samples to monitor their immune response to find out about the safety and suitability of the vaccine against HIV infection. Earlier efforts to make an HIV vaccine proved unsuccessful because the virus mutates rapidly. But the new vaccine will target the virus. HIV-positive adults will later be made part of the test.

HIVconsvX vaccine trial for HIV begins

The human trial is part of the European AIDS Vaccine Initiative HIV-CORE 0052. This is an internationally collaborative research project funded by the European Commission. The results of the first phase of human trials are expected in April next year, if the results are encouraging, then human trials will be carried out on a large scale. The new vaccine against HIV has been named HIVconsvX. The vaccine's effectiveness will also be tested in Kenya, Zambia and Uganda, where HIV is most widespread. Most HIV vaccine candidates induce antibodies produced by B-cells.

Big move for scientists making Covid-19 vaccine

But the new HIVconsvX vaccine triggers the immune system's T-cells, which are powerful and destroy pathogens. The new vaccine has been designed to target an area of the virus that rarely changes. Oxford University has said its vaccine volunteers are the "best solution" to end the AIDS epidemic. Professor Thomas Hanke, the lead researcher at Oxford's Jenner Institute, said that it took 40 years to make the vaccine. In the 40 years since the virus was detected, about 5 vaccines have been tested. Researchers say that finding protection against HIV is very challenging and it is necessary that we strengthen the protective capacity of both antibodies and the immune system's protector T-cells.