Scientists begin trial of experimental HIV vaccine which relies on the same breakthrough mRNA technology used in Moderna’s Covid jab
- A total of 56 Americans have been recruited to test Moderna’s HIV vaccine
- The first recipients got the jab at George Washington University last month
- Jab is expected to trigger immune response in the same way as its Covid vaccine
Moderna has launched a trial of a HIV vaccine which uses the same breakthrough mRNA technology harnessed for its Covid jab.
The US pharmaceutical giant has recruited 56 volunteers who do not have HIV to test its jab.
The first participants were dosed up at George Washington University last month, officials revealed.
There is currently no cure for HIV, which affects approximately 100,000 Britons and 1.2million Americans. Although there are prevention drugs, they need to be taken daily.
Having a one-time shot that offers lifetime protection could be a breakthrough for the disease that has claimed millions of lives.
Moderna has recruited 56 Americans aged 18 to 50 who do not have HIV to test its vaccine, with the first volunteers receiving the injection at George Washington University last month. The HIV jab uses the same mRNA technology used it the pharmaceutical giant’s Covid injection
Moderna is testing two different jabs that are expected to give instructions to the body’s cells to produce a protein that is found on the surface of HIV particles.
This should train the immune system to recognise that protein and develop neutralising antibodies that protect against a range of different HIV strains.
Professor David Diemert, an immunologist at George Washington University, said: ‘The Covid pandemic really demonstrated the success of mRNA vaccines.
‘And so the path from discussing its application for HIV to a Phase I clinical trial happened at an accelerated pace.
‘With these new mRNA vaccines, we’re on the cutting edge of innovative vaccine strategies for HIV.’
Moderna is also developing an mRNA vaccine for seasonal flu, as well as a combined annual Covid and flu booster jab.
Despite 40 years of research since HIV was first identified, a vaccine has been elusive.
But scientists around the world, including at Oxford University, are trialling jabs in the hopes of preventing infection and curing the disease.
Moderna’s trial, which it is running in partnership with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), will determine if its vaccine triggers neutralising antibodies.
This immune response is ‘widely considered to be a goal of HIV vaccination and this is the first step in that process’, Moderna said.
Dr Mark Feinberg, head of IAVI, said the search for a HIV vaccine ‘has been long and challenging’.
He added that new tools, such as Moderna’s mRNA technology ‘could be the key to making rapid progress toward an urgently needed’ jab.
Results from IAVI’s trial of one mRNA vaccine — called mRNA-1644 — last year found that the jab triggered an antibody response in 97 per cent of participants.
And lab tests have found antibodies can neutralise a broad range of HIV variants and protect against infection, Moderna said.
The latest trial will test the effectiveness of this jab again and whether a booster jab — called mRNA-1644v2-Core — strengthens the immune response.
A total of 48 participants will receive one or two doses of the mRNA-1644 vaccine, with 32 people from this group also receiving the booster jab.
Another eight participants will receive a booster jab alone.
Scientists will monitor the group for six months to measure their immune response, HIV status and vaccine safety.