UB participating in first large-scale trial of HIV vaccine

The university's Division of HIV Medicine is one of 50 centers across the U.S. participating in the first nationwide trial of a vaccine to prevent infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

The study will test the effectiveness of a drug called AIDSVAX B/B, developed by VaxGen, Inc., to provide protection against the major HIV strains in the Americas, Western Europe and Australia.

The national study will involve 5,000 male and female volunteers who are currently HIV-negative but are at high risk of acquiring the virus through sexual transmission based on current lifestyle habits. The Buffalo trial, to involve 90 participants, will begin later this month.

Ross Hewitt, head of the Division of HIV Medicine and medical director of Immunodeficiency Services at Erie County Medical Center (ECMC), will supervise the trial, to be conducted out of the ECMC HIV clinic and the Evergreen Health Clinic on South Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo, operated by AIDS Community Services of Western New York, Inc.

"I'm excited to be able to offer participation in this national program to Western New York residents," Hewitt said. "During my 15 years of caring for people with HIV infection, I have looked forward to the day when a credible candidate vaccine against HIV would be tested. Even with the advances in treatment of the disease, preventing HIV infection is much more desirable than treating it. While this vaccine is not the answer yet, testing its effectiveness is the very important first step."

Trial participants will be given a series of vaccinations over three years. Their HIV status and production of potentially protective antibodies will be monitored frequently. Earlier trials showed that the vaccine produced antibodies in 99 percent of participants. By targeting an at-risk population, researchers expect to be able to determine the vaccine's actual protective effect. Participants who become HIV positive during the trial will be monitored to determine if the vaccine was able to reduce the viral load, the study's secondary goal. The trial is double-blinded and placebo-controlled. This means that some participants will receive the vaccine, in this case two-thirds of the total, and the remaining one-third will receive a benign vaccine substitute. Neither the participants nor the medical personnel involved will know who is in which group. Researchers hope the study will result in production of an effective vaccine that can be used worldwide. Those interested in participating should call the HIV Vaccine Hotline at 898-5680. All information will remain confidential.