Vaccine Expansion

AIDS Research Alliance

HIV VACCINE TRIAL EXPANDING.
AIDS RESEARCH ALLIANCE WELCOMES NEW PARTICIPANTS
                       
(March 4, 2006 West Hollywood) An experimental AIDS vaccine has exceeded expectations in early clinical trials, eliciting a stronger-than-expected immune response in study participants.  As a result, the company who produced the vaccine candidate has expanded enrollment in trials to 3,000 people throughout North and South America.

In Los Angeles, the vaccine trial conducted at the AIDS Research Alliance is focusing on people at high risk for acquisition of HIV, including gay and bisexual men, as well as women who have had more than two sexual partners in the last six months.

This four year long study, called the Step Study, tests the vaccine candidate which is based on the adenovirus, a common cold virus that has been modified with three synthetically produced HIV genes – known as gag, pol and nef.The vaccine – which is unable to cause a cold or AIDS in humans – is used as a delivery vehicle to transport these HIV genes into the body. “By getting these genes into the cells we hope to stimulate the body to generate a strong cellular immune response to HIV, producing an army of T cells that are programmed to recognize and destroy cells infected with HIV,” stated Stephen J. Brown, M.D. AIDS Research Alliance’s Medical Director.

The Step study is the first HIV vaccine candidate to progress to efficacy trials in the U.S. in several years. The study is expected to show if this vaccine candidate can create an immune response in HIV-negative people receiving the vaccine compared to those receiving the placebo. The vaccine-stimulated immune response will either prevent HIV infection, or if an infection occurs, help the body to maintain a lower viral load, compared with individuals who receive a placebo and who may become infected with HIV during the course of the study.
While it is still unclear if the vaccine will be an effective tool against HIV, in early tests, researchers discovered that this vaccine candidate can generate a stronger-than-expected immune responses against HIV, even in people who have antibodies against the cold virus.

                According to UNAIDS, approximately 40 million people were living with HIV in 2004.  With more than 14,000 new HIV infections each day, 95 percent of which occur in developing countries, the global epidemic is not abating. Development of a vaccine is recognised as the best long-term hope to end the AIDS pandemic, and a critical part of an integrated strategy to fight HIV infection, which also includes treatment and prevention.  “There is still much work to be done,” said Carolyn Carlburg, Chief Executive Officer at AIDS Research Alliance. “Every 24 hours finds so many more people newly infected worldwide.  We need to aggressively move forward with research and clinical trials to find effective interventions to both prevent and treat HIV/AIDS.”
            People who participate in the study will be compensated for their time.  Interested volunteers should contact AIDS Research Alliance at 310-358-2429

About AIDS Research Alliance
AIDS Research Alliance of America is a non-profit medical research institution whose mission is to find a cure for AIDS and develop medical strategies to prevent HIV infection.  ARA does this by conducting pre-clinical research and clinical trials, often in collaboration with scientists from around the world.  Whether uncovering more effective treatments, searching for possible vaccine candidates to stop the spread of the virus, or looking for ways to eradicate HIV in individuals, AIDS Research Alliance remains committed to the possibility that AIDS may ultimately be cured.  See www.aidsresearch.org for more information.

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