Reaching for a Cure: HIV and AIDS

Phase II HIV Vaccine Trials

Despite the availability and success of HIV treatment drugs in the United States, the best long-term hope for controlling the AIDS epidemic worldwide is the development of safe, effective and affordable preventive HIV vaccines.

Researchers at The Miriam Hospital are conducting a phase II trial of a vaccine with the potential to prevent HIV infection. This is one of two phase II HIV vaccine trials occurring in the United States, and one of only four occurring throughout the world.

“This trial marks an important step in the advancement of a HIV vaccine, particularly in the use of some promising technology how the vaccine is delivered,” said Michelle Lally, MD, principal investigator of the study at The Miriam Hospital. “In addition, this is the first phase II study of a vaccine that was designed with an eye on the total global epidemic. We look forward to working with our partners in the United States and abroad to evaluate its safety and immune effects.”

To be considered safe and effective, a vaccine must be tested through a series of three steps or phases. It is tested first in small numbers of healthy subjects in phase I, hundreds in phase II, and thousands in phase III. Due to the complexity in nature of the HIV virus, many vaccines have undergone phase I testing, but very few have shown sufficient promise to make it to phase II. Worldwide, there is only one phase III trial currently underway.

Participation in vaccine trials has increased over the years, but community support is essential in efforts to break down stigma and myths about HIV vaccine research. Despite popular belief, it is impossible to contract HIV from participating in a vaccine trial because the products being tested do not contain any HIV virus in them.

A record 3.1 million people died of AIDS in 2004, the highest number for any year since the epidemic began. The development of a vaccine is recognized as the best long-term hope to end the AIDS pandemic, although without volunteers, researchers cannot effectively test the vaccines.

Healthy, HIV negative individuals ages 18 to 50 that are interested in participating in an HIV vaccine trial should call The Miriam Hospital’s HIV Vaccine Trials Unit at 1-866-STOP-HIV. Volunteers will be asked to commit to a one-year trial, and will be compensated for their time.

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