Moderna, IAVI launch first-in-Africa trial of mRNA HIV vaccine
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Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) and nonprofit research organization IAVI said the first participant screenings will soon start for a phase 1 trial of an mRNA HIV vaccine (mRNA-1644) at the Center for Family Health Research (CFHR) in Kigali, Rwanda, and The Aurum Institute in Tembisa, South Africa.
The IAVI-sponsored trial, dubbed IAVI G003, builds on HIV vaccine research data.
In February 2021, IAVI said that data from a phase I trial, called IAVI G001, showed that vaccination with the HIV immunogen eOD-GT8 60mer as a recombinant protein safely induced the targeted immune responses in 97% of people receiving the vaccine (healthy U.S. adults).
The company said trial sites are expected to enroll a total of 18 healthy, HIV-negative adult volunteers for IAVI G003 who will receive two doses of eOD-GT8 60mer mRNA, which contains a portion of the viral sequence and cannot cause an infection with HIV.
The main goal of the study is to evaluate safety and check for an immune response.
"This is the first time we are evaluating an mRNA-delivered HIV immunogen in Africa with African scientists and researchers at the helm, building on our longstanding partnerships with USAID and IAVI," said Etienne Karita, director of CFHR.
Moderna added that IAVI G003 was being supported through the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief via the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Additional support is provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation via grants to Moderna (MRNA) and to the Collaboration for AIDS Vaccine Discovery, Vaccine Immunology Statistical Center.