The challenges of HIV vaccine development and testing.
A vaccine against HIV remains the best hope for bringing the epidemic under control. An intensive global effort is underway to develop such a vaccine; however, the challenges are considerable. Several new vaccine technologies that have been developed and shown promise in animal models are now being tested in early phase safety trials in humans. Because there is no laboratory assay that will predict whether an HIV vaccine can protect humans from infection, clinical trials involving thousands of volunteers will need to be conducted to determine the efficacy of HIV vaccines. These trials need to take place in the developing countries that bear the burden of the epidemic, requiring a substantial amount of infrastructure development and capacity building.
Burgers
Wendy A
WA
Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Observatory 7925, Cape Town, South Africa. wburgers@curie.uct.ac.za
Williamson
Carolyn
C
D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D003906:Developing Countries; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012107:Research Design; D014480:United Nations; D014944:World Health Organization
D016915:AIDS Vaccines; D000914:Antibodies, Viral