HIV vaccine: Trials show promising results

Experimental HIV vaccine trial shows promising results, prompting researchers to partner with Moderna.

A study that could one day lead to a potential HIV vaccine has shown promising results, scientists have said.

Researchers from the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and Scripps Research say that a phase-one trial has shown “proof in principle” for a new type of vaccine that could be used against the virus.

An effective vaccine to prevent HIV infection has proved elusive for nearly four decades, not least because the virus constantly evolves into different strains to evade the immune system.

However, the trial found success in “stimulating production of rare immune cells needed to start the process of generating antibodies” that could neutralise diverse strains of HIV.