Scientists at Oxford University are testing the HIV vaccine in view of its success against Kovid-19. The first phase of human trials that began this week will include 13 HIV-negative adults aged 18-65 years because they are not considered to be at high risk of infection. During this, participants will initially take one dose of HIV vaccine and then after four weeks they will be given an additional booster dose.
Scientists will then take their blood samples to monitor their immune response and determine whether the vaccine is safe and can prevent 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 step of scientists making Kovid-19 vaccine
But the new HIVconsvX vaccine triggers the immune system’s T-cells, which are powerful and destroy pathogens. The new vaccine is designed to target an area of the virus that rarely changes. Oxford University has said its vaccine candidate is the “best solution” to ending the AIDS epidemic. Professor Thomas Hanke, lead researcher at Oxford’s Jenner Institute, said that it took 40 years to make the vaccine. In these 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.
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