HIV vaccine comprising Moderna's mRNA technology administered to patients as part of trial

Moderna reported that it has administered the first doses of an experimental HIV vaccine as part of a clinical trial to assess the vaccine's safety and efficacy. Moderna announced in a statement last week that the first doses of an HIV vaccine were given out as part of the IAVI G002 clinical study. The mRNA vaccine injects HIV-specific antigens into the body with the aim of eliciting an immunological response.

William Schief, a Scripps Research professor and executive director of vaccine design at IAVI's Neutralizing Antibody Center developed the vaccine along with his colleagues. In a second IAVI G001 clinical trial, Schief found that the HIV vaccine elicited the required immunological response in 97% of participants. Using Moderna's mRNA technology, which was effective in the company's COVID-19 vaccine, the new IAVI G002 clinical study will not only test the expected immune response to the HIV vaccine but also the capabilities of a booster version.

Tremendously excited to be advancing this new direction in HIV vaccine: IAVI CEO

"We are tremendously excited to be advancing this new direction in HIV vaccine design with Moderna's mRNA platform. The search for an HIV vaccine has been long and challenging, and having new tools in terms of immunogens and platforms could be the key to making rapid progress toward an urgently needed, effective HIV vaccine," Mark Feinberg, president and CEO of IAVI remarked in the statement.

George Washington University in Washington, D.C., the Hope Clinic of Emory Vaccine Center in Atlanta, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, and the University of Texas-Health Science Center in San Antonio are all participating in the clinical research. Each site will recruit 56 HIV-negative adults in good health. According to Moderna, 48 of the participants will receive one or two doses of the HIV mRNA vaccine, and 32 will receive a booster HIV shot. An additional eight volunteers will receive merely a booster shot.

Six months following their last immunization, researchers will assess the participants' safety as well as the immunological reactions of those who received a vaccine. In IAVI G001, we saw promising proof of concept for germline targeting, and this study allows us to take that strategy to the next level, Schief stated. Furthermore, thanks to Moderna's technology, we've been able to produce clinical trial material at a really fast rate, he added in the statement. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has also contributed to the new HIV clinical trial since Moderna entered into a global health project framework with the foundation in 2016 to push mRNA-based development projects for diverse infectious illnesses.

(With inputs from agencies)