Three More HIV Vaccines Have Entered Clinical Trials

This week, the National Institutes of Health announced that clinical trials had begun in not one, but three potential new vaccines for HIV. Over 100 HIV-negative human volunteers will take part in the studies, which are being conducted in Seattle by the HIV Vaccine Trials Network. As of Monday, 12 candidates were already enrolled.

According to Them, pharmaceutical conglomerate Moderna developed the vaccines, which are based on the same mRNA technology as the company’s Covid-19 vaccines – and another HIV vaccine that began human trials earlier this year. But while the previous vaccine attempts to stop the virus from inhibiting the production of disease-fighting B cells, the NIH-sponsored vaccines take a different approach. In these trials, scientists will be evaluating whether the vaccines can safely induce production of the HIV spike protein, which is what allows the virus to penetrate healthy cells and replicate.

“Finding an HIV vaccine has proven to be a daunting scientific challenge,” said Anthony Fauci, the director of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in a statement. Thanks to the development of Covid-19 vaccines using mRNA, he explained, “we have an exciting opportunity to learn whether mRNA technology can achieve similar results against HIV infection.”

The four Moderna-developed HIV vaccines aren’t the only ones being tested, though. Last October, the FDA approved clinical trials for Excision Biotherapeutics’ vaccine, which uses a CRISPR gene-editing platform to slice off portions of the virus’s genome.

Should any of these treatments yield success, we’ll be one large step closer to shutting down the spread of HIV/AIDS, long thought a pipe dream in the LGBTQ+ community – and though there’s a long way yet to go, there’s more reason than ever to hope.

Read related myGwork articles here:

A Possible “Functional Cure” For HIV Will Soon Begin Human Trials

Experimental HIV Vaccine Fails Efficacy Trials In Latest Setback To Field

Moderna Starts Human Trials For Its Revolutionary HIV Vaccine This Week

New HIV Vaccine “Based On Moderna’s COVID Jab” Shows Huge Promise After First Human Trials

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