The vaccine in the study – developed by AELIX Therapeutics – delivered the HIVACAT T-cell Immunogen (HTI) using a combination of DNA vector, modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) vector and simian adenovirus vector ChAdOx1. Tomáš Hanke, Professor of Vaccine Immunology at the Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, who leads on HIV vaccine development, said:‘This result provides further encouragement that active immunization against HIV may be possible, slowing HIV replication, providing a window of treatment holidays for people living with HIV and eventually leading to HIV cure. The vaccine design was conceived at the IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute and clinically developed by AELIX Therapeutics. AELIX Therapeutics funded the study. Prof Hanke directs an HIV Vaccine Programme at the Jenner Institute that aims to develop a vaccine strategy for induction of protective T cells focused on the vulnerable conserved regions of HIV and encompasses trials in the UK, Europe, the US and Africa, where his partners and he enhance research capacity and infrastructure.
