HIV vaccine? Scientists improve efficacy of 'best vaccine candidate ever tested' stat : IBT

These findings suggest that it may be possible to improve the efficacy of the most advanced HIV Vaccine candidate to date. "Vaccine protection using this model of virus infection in primates is possible," said lead author Todd Bradley, a member of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute. Laura Waters, Trustee of HIV charity Terrence Higgins Trust, commented: "This animal study demonstrates promising results for a new HIV vaccine formulation. "This is a proof of concept that provides a strategy to improve upon the first HIV vaccine regimen that provided limited protection in people." A new vaccine candidate has shown promising results in protecting monkeys from SIV – the simian equivalent of HIV.




HIV investigational Vaccine protected monkeys from HIV-like virus: Duke researchBuilding on insights from an HIV vaccine regimen in humans that had partial success during a phase 3 clinical trial in Thailand, a Duke-led research team used a more-is-better approach in monkeys that appeared to improve vaccine protection from an HIV-like virus. "Vaccine protection using this model of virus infection in primates is possible," said lead author Todd Bradley, Ph.D., a member of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute. "This is a proof-of-concept that provides a strategy to improve upon the first HIV vaccine regimen that provided limited protection in people."Related: Adding three more targets to the investigational vaccine, for a total of five, protected more than half of the vaccinated animals from simian-human immunodeficiency virus infection. "The vaccine regimen tested in the Thai trial, known as RV144, had 31-percent efficacy and is the only HIV investigational vaccine regimen to have demonstrated even modest protection from HIV infection," said Barton F. Haynes, M.D., director of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute and senior author of a study published online June 8 in the journal Nature Communications.

WATCH: Zoe Saldana stars in Sia music video to support HIV vaccine

Zoe Saldana plays a pregnant woman diagnosed with HIV in the new video for the Sia song "Free Me." Starting with the song's release on Friday, proceeds from "Free Me" are being donated to