A new vaccine against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) will begin testing this Wednesday (20/9) in the United States and South Africa.
This initiative to create an immunizer against the virus that causes AIDS is based on research carried out since 2004. The new vaccine, called VIR-1388, will be evaluated in phase 1, a stage in which it is tested on a small audience of people to weigh the chances of serious side effects.
How does the new vaccine work?
VIR-1388 uses another virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV), to encapsulate fragmented materials from the HIV virus. In other words, the vaccine does not contain the entire virus, only parts of its structure to teach the body how to fight it.
According to the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which will lead the study, the human body has already had immunity “for centuries” against CMV, which will be a kind of vehicle to deliver parts of HIV in the case of this vaccine. .
The tests will be carried out with around 100 people divided into three groups. Two of them will receive different doses of the vaccine, while one will receive a placebo to assess effectiveness.
Initial results are expected by the end of 2024, but volunteers will be followed for three years. If there are positive results, the vaccine will still have to go through two more phases of testing before being made available to the public.
HIV vaccines
In January of this year, the most promising vaccine against HIV, manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, was discontinued after showing ineffective results. The only vaccine that is still being tested and could be released in the next few years is PrEPVacc, a set of injections against the virus that must be combined with drug treatment and is being tested in southern Africa.
A new vaccine against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) will begin testing this Wednesday (20/9) in the United States and South Africa.
This initiative to create an immunizer against the virus that causes AIDS is based on research carried out since 2004. The new vaccine, called VIR-1388, will be evaluated in phase 1, a stage in which it is tested on a small audience of people to weigh the chances of serious side effects.
How does the new vaccine work?
VIR-1388 uses another virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV), to encapsulate fragmented materials from the HIV virus. In other words, the vaccine does not contain the entire virus, only parts of its structure to teach the body how to fight it.
According to the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which will lead the study, the human body has already had immunity “for centuries” against CMV, which will be a kind of vehicle to deliver parts of HIV in the case of this vaccine. .
The tests will be carried out with around 100 people divided into three groups. Two of them will receive different doses of the vaccine, while one will receive a placebo to assess effectiveness.
Initial results are expected by the end of 2024, but volunteers will be followed for three years. If there are positive results, the vaccine will still have to go through two more phases of testing before being made available to the public.
HIV vaccines
In January of this year, the most promising vaccine against HIV, manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, was discontinued after showing ineffective results. The only vaccine that is still being tested and could be released in the next few years is PrEPVacc, a set of injections against the virus that must be combined with drug treatment and is being tested in southern Africa.
