FDA approves HIV vaccine trials for the next year

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved clinical trials in humans for a new HIV vaccine. HIV is the virus that is the cause of AIDS.

If the vaccine works, it will kill the whole HIV virus. The vaccine (SAV001) is based on a genetically modified HIV virus strand that was killed. A researcher and professor at The University of Western Ontario's Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Dr. Chil-Yong Kang explains more.

According to Kang, a number of vaccines have been developed from killed whole virus. Polio, influenza, rabies and hepatities 'A' being a few. So the approach to creating a vaccinee for HIV was not an unheard of idea.

"Getting FDA approval for the trials, beginning this January, is an "extremely significant milestone for our vaccine," Kang said."

The vaccinne will be following three different phases.
I. 40 volunteers in January will be the first to test. All the volunteers are HIV-negative and at high risk of contracting the HIV virus.
II. The immune responses in approximately 600 humans will be measured
III Raises the trials to 6000 volunteers to test the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing HIV infections.

"HIV/AIDS has killed more than 28 million people worldwide, and more than 35 million people currently live with the virus infection. Since the virus was characterized in 1983, there have been numerous trials through pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions around the world to develop vaccines; however, no commercialized vaccine has been developed to date."