NIAID Begins Clinical Trial of HIV Experimental Vaccines Using mRNA Technology
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases began a phase one clinical trial this week to examine the use of mRNA technology for HIV.
To conduct the trial, NIAID researchers will evaluate three experimental HIV vaccines based on a messenger RNA platform, which is a technology used in several of the current COVID-19 vaccines.
“With the success of safe and highly effective COVID-19 vaccines, we have an exciting opportunity to learn whether mRNA technology can achieve similar results against HIV infection,” said Anthony Fauci, the director of the NIAID, in a release.
According to the NIAID, the mRNA vaccine works by delivering a piece of genetic material that instructs the body to make a protein fragment of a target pathogen, such as a virus, which the immune system recognizes, remembers and uses to build up a substantial response if later exposed to the same pathogen.
The research will be led by principal investigators Jesse Clark, from the University of California Los Angeles, and Sharon Riddler, from the University of Pittsburgh.
Researchers will enroll up to 108 adults aged 18-55 at 11 sites across the country, most of which are in cities located on the East Coast.
Each participant will be assigned to one of six groups, each receiving three vaccinations of one of the experimental vaccines. According to the NIAID, the trial is expected to be completed by July 2023.
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