The last 10 months have been particularly disappointing for HIV vaccine development. Thelarge STEP trial, it was reported in San Francisco this week, using a vaccine developed by the pharmaceutical giant, Merck, was halted last Sept when it became clear that those receiving the vaccine were becoming infected with HIV at a higher rate than those who received the placebo. The vaccine used in the PAVE trial has many similarities with the one used in the STEP trial. The PAVE study was supposed to have begun enrolling participants last October but that was put on hold while researchers tried to get a better understanding of what had happened in the STEP trial. Preliminary analysis suggested that being circumscised and having high levels of antibodies from prior exposure to adenovirus 5, a cold-virus used to deliver key parts of both vaccines, put trial participants at greater risk for becoming infected with HIV. As a result, the PAVE trial was scaled back from ambitious 8,500 participants to 2,400 circumcised gay men in the United States who screened negative for antobodies to adenovirus 5. At the end of May, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases announced that it will not move forward with the PAVE 100 -- the most ambitious trial yet envisioned.
Ronald Desrosiers, director of the New England Primate Research Center said no one knows how to elicit antibodies with broadly neutralizing activity. No one knows the enormous sequence diversity present in the virus. And no one knows what constitutes immune protection at this time.
So after the failure of STEP trial and through a series of meetings over the ensuing months, a consensus has emerged among researchers that HIV vaccine research must take a step back from trying to develop a product and put more effort into basic research to answer questions about HIV. Reactions to cancellation of PAVE trial generally have been positive and muted.
Guest Blogger: Jefferey Johnson
Jeff lives with Parker, his boyfriend of 12 years in Buckhead, Atlanta. He tells QueerGam that his milkshake and his boyfriend are better than yours.
Ronald Desrosiers, director of the New England Primate Research Center said no one knows how to elicit antibodies with broadly neutralizing activity. No one knows the enormous sequence diversity present in the virus. And no one knows what constitutes immune protection at this time.
So after the failure of STEP trial and through a series of meetings over the ensuing months, a consensus has emerged among researchers that HIV vaccine research must take a step back from trying to develop a product and put more effort into basic research to answer questions about HIV. Reactions to cancellation of PAVE trial generally have been positive and muted.
Guest Blogger: Jefferey Johnson
Jeff lives with Parker, his boyfriend of 12 years in Buckhead, Atlanta. He tells QueerGam that his milkshake and his boyfriend are better than yours.