The first human trial has been completed in Spain of a new vaccine against HIV-B (the most common form of HIV in Europe). The vaccine has been successful in 90 percent of those volunteers, all of whom were free of HIV during Phase I testing.
The team leader is Dr. Mariano Esteban of the Spanish National Research Council’s Biotechnology National Center, who has been working on this approach since 1999. Dr. Esteban’s team inserted the HIV genes Gag, Pol Nef and Env in the genetic sequence of Modified Ankara Vaccinia. The resulting product was used o mice and monkey, where it was a complete success.
An attenuated virus, called the MVA-B, itself a version of the Modified Ankara Vaccinia, is used. This same virus was used before to eradicate smallpox and forms the basis of other vaccines. For the first human tests, 30 HIV-free volunteers were involved. Six were given a placebo and showed no effect. Ninety percent of those treated with the altered MVA-B showed a very strong immunological response to the HIV virus, and 85% kept that reaction for at least one year. There were no significant secondary effects in any of the patients.
Dr. Esteban notes that it is still too soon to know if the immune response to the vaccine would be strong enough to act against an actual HIV infection. The next test will involve those who are HIV-positive, to see if MVA-B is effective in practice. Much additional testing will be done before any vaccine is offered on a large scale.
Summarized from: http://gizmodo.com/5844706/this-90-successful-vaccine-may-be-our-best-chance-to-eradicate-aids
further details available with references at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MVA-B
The team leader is Dr. Mariano Esteban of the Spanish National Research Council’s Biotechnology National Center, who has been working on this approach since 1999. Dr. Esteban’s team inserted the HIV genes Gag, Pol Nef and Env in the genetic sequence of Modified Ankara Vaccinia. The resulting product was used o mice and monkey, where it was a complete success.
An attenuated virus, called the MVA-B, itself a version of the Modified Ankara Vaccinia, is used. This same virus was used before to eradicate smallpox and forms the basis of other vaccines. For the first human tests, 30 HIV-free volunteers were involved. Six were given a placebo and showed no effect. Ninety percent of those treated with the altered MVA-B showed a very strong immunological response to the HIV virus, and 85% kept that reaction for at least one year. There were no significant secondary effects in any of the patients.
Dr. Esteban notes that it is still too soon to know if the immune response to the vaccine would be strong enough to act against an actual HIV infection. The next test will involve those who are HIV-positive, to see if MVA-B is effective in practice. Much additional testing will be done before any vaccine is offered on a large scale.
Summarized from: http://gizmodo.com/5844706/this-90-successful-vaccine-may-be-our-best-chance-to-eradicate-aids
further details available with references at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MVA-B
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