This morning, at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, the first London volunteer was vaccinated in a preventive HIV vaccine trial first reported here last December (follow this link for recruitment and contact details).
The London site aims to recruit 80 "low-risk" HIV-negative volunteers out of a total of 120 sought in London and in Oxford. The trial is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase I study of a prime-boost vaccine system, combining two vaccines that have already been given separately to volunteers in Oxford and Nairobi, Kenya. It is unique in using a DNA sequence for the 'gag' gene of an HIV-1 sub-type A virus from East Africa.
The trial investigator, Dr Nicky Mackie, says she and her colleagues have already had 75 enquiries, but there is no guarantee that all will be eligible or able to commit themselves to all of the clinic visits, spread over 12 months, needed to evaluate these vaccines.
The trial, codenamed ICOX-PB001, is a vital stage in a continuing research programme jointly supported by Nairobi University, the UK's Medical Research Council, and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.
A vaccine for full-scale (Phase III) testing is likely to contain additional HIV-related DNA sequences. If this trial shows that the design produces relevant and sizeable immune responses, then the incentive to make and test that vaccine will be greatly increased.
Derek Bodell, Chief Executive of the UK's National AIDS Trust (NAT), said, "This trial is an important step towards the development of a safe, effective and affordable HIV vaccine. NAT particularly welcomes the development of a vaccine specifically designed for use in Africa. NAT believes that vaccine development should prioritise vaccines that will work to combat HIV in highly affected countries. Globally we need to strengthen prevention education efforts while at the same time giving priority to developing new prevention tools such as vaccines."
NAT are providing independent advice to volunteers and stress that "volunteers should not assume any level of protection against HIV from the trial vaccine."