EUROVAC II: European vaccine effort against HIV/AIDS

• Research unit: EU RFP
• Project number: 01.0600

Key words (English)

Life Sciences; Medicine; Health; Safety; Scientific Research; Social Aspects

Alternative project number (English)

EU project number: QLK2-CT-2001-01316

Research programs (English)

EU-programme: 5. Frame Research Programme - 1.1.2 Control of infectious diseases

Short description (English)

See abstract

Further information (English)

Full name of research-institution/enterprise:
Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois CHUV
Division d'immunologie et d'allergie
Laboratoire d'immunopathologie du SIDA

Abstract (English)

HIV-1 and AIDS are spreading in Africa and Asia at unprecedented speed. A vaccine against HIV-1/AIDS is urgently needed. Vaccine candidates that show most promise in simian AIDS models are based on a prime-booststrategy, applying naked DNA or alpha viruses as prime and pox viruses as boost.

The objectives of the EuroVac-II project are to demonstrate in a phase I trial of humans:

firstly:
- the ability of Semliki Forest virus (SFV) to prime anti-HIV immune responses;
- compared to the attenuated poxvirus NYVAC;
- using a recombinant gp140 protein boost;

secondly:
- the ability of SFV priming;
- using DNA priming as benchmark;
- to improve the immune responses elicited by NYVAC + rgp140 vaccination.

This design will provide conclusions concerning the relative immuno-genicity of different prime-boost strategies. The HIV-1 genes used are recovered from a primary isolate belonging to HIV-1 subtype C, the most frequent cause of AIDS worldwide. The choice of genes (gag, pol, nef) other than envelope, is based on the frequency of HIV-specific T-cell responses in long-term asymptomatic HIV infected individuals.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 01.0600