Moderna To Begin Trials for HIV Vaccine Following COVID-19 Research

Moderna, the company responsible for developing one of the first COVID-19 vaccines in 2020, is hoping to use that same technology to begin honing in on a vaccine for HIV and AIDS.

The company plans to begin human trials for their mRNA-based vaccine, according to the National Institute of Health’s clinical trials database updated last week. Moderna is looking for 56 individuals between age 18 and 50 who are HIV-negative for the trial, which they hope to begin August 19 and wrap up in spring 2021. Moderna is also reportedly looking into an influenza vaccine with the same technology.

The vaccines already passed Phase I testing earlier in the year, involving testing for safety with a handful of human volunteers. The second phase tests the vaccine’s overall effectiveness, and Phase III will have Moderna looking at its efficacy over other prevention treatments currently on the market, like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PreP).

While vaccines date back to the 1700s, with a multitude of different types, most vaccines for other viruses have been ineffective against HIV, which attacks the immune system and breaks down the body’s ability to fight other diseases and infections.

One difference is that the mRNA vaccines do not contain parts of a virus, but they instead create proteins that trigger an immune response in the body. This is distinct from other vaccines, in that live vaccines can spoil if not kept cool, which can lead to distribution problems, therefore allowing an increase in the manufacturers’ ability to mass product doses and allow the body to potentially recognize new variants of the virus. Right now, we know of 16 HIV mutations.

The technology has been around for decades, but the lengthy amount of time required for approval by the FDA has limited the number of mRNA vaccines that make it to widespread use in the U.S. The COVID-19 pandemic was the catalyst, with 2020’s “Operation Warp Speed” accelerated program speeding up the turnaround time for vaccine trials and FDA approval.

“The only real hope we have of ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic is through the deployment of an effective HIV vaccine, one that is achieved through the work of partners, advocates, and community members joining hands to do together what no one individual or group can do on its own,” Dr. Mark Feinberg, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative president,  writes in a statement marking the 40th anniversary of the HIV epidemic.