A major study of a t-cell vaccine for HIV is under way, it has been announced.
A phase 1 study will involve 88 adults in three African countries, Oxford University, one of the developers, announced.
The new vaccine, HIVconsvX, is designed to induce t-cells to attack the most vulnerable regions of the virus.
Developers say it should target a broad range of HIV-1 variants. It is to be tested in Zambia, Kenya and Uganda.
Dr William Kilembe, project director of the Center for Family Health Research in Zambia, said: “International partnerships are crucial in developing and evaluating HIV vaccine candidates in countries and communities where HIV vaccines will ultimately have the greatest public health impact.
“CFHRZ is proud to be part of the consortium evaluating HIVconsvX and to deliver the first dose of this experimental HIV vaccine.”
Leader researcher Professor Tomas Hanke, of Oxford University, said: “This highly rational, bioinformatics-assisted, vaccine design addresses the enormous variability of HIV-1 – one of the greatest challenges to the development of an effective vaccine against HIV/AIDS.”
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