HIV
As part of a joint Phase I trial of an experimental AIDS vaccine, Dutch biopharmaceutical company Crucell NV and Harvard will enroll HIV-free adults in the United States and Africa to test a vaccine combining two adenovirus-based vaccines.
The two vaccines have been proven safe individually, TheBody.com reports, but the new trial will test their safety in combination. The trial is also expected to test the ability of the vaccine to provoke an immune response when it is administered in a prime-boost regimen.
"Our program to develop this combination vaccine represents one of the most advanced AIDS vaccine programs in the world," Jaap Goudsmit, Crucell’s chief scientific officer, told TheBody.com.
The vaccine, which combines the Ad35-ENV candidate and the AD26.ENVA.01 candidate, is designed to kill infected cells while preventing HIV from entering uninfected cells.
The two adenovirus vectors occur less frequently in humans, Crucell told TheBody.com.
"In contrast antibodies to Ad5 are widespread among people of all ages and are known to lower the immune response to Ad5-based vaccines, thereby impairing the efficacy of these vaccines," Crucell said, according to TheBody.com.
The Vaccine Initiative is leading the trial, which will also see participation by the Ragon Institute. Crucell has not made public when the trial will begin or how many people will be enrolled.
