Moderna starts clinical trial for mRNA based HIV vaccine

Thursday 27th January 2022, Moderna announced that they have launched their clinical trail of a mRNA-based HIV vaccine - with the first doses being given that same day.

This Phase-I trial is being run in conjunction with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.

Built on an mRNA (messenger RNA) platform, as used for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccination, it is hoped that the new vaccine will train the person’s body to trigger an appropriate immune response to HIV. Alongside the mRNA vaccine the teams have also created a booster which aims to use the immune system’s B cells to create broadly neutralising antibodies (BNAbs) that it is hoped will also help defeat the virus.

Phase-I of the trial plans to enrol 56 healthy and HIV negative adults across four sites in the United States. Follow up will continue for six months after each participant’s final dose.

Of the 56 participants:

• 48 will receive either one or two doses of the vaccine,
  • 32 of those will also receive a booster.
• 8 will receive only the booster.

Dr. Mark Feinberg, president and CEO of IAVI, said in a statement:

“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."