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An HIV vaccine developed by Chinese scientists will be administered to 160 volunteers during a second-phase clinical trial, a medical scientist from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday.
The candidate vaccine, DNA-rTV, relies on replication of HIV DNA to stimulate effective immunization, according to Shao Yiming, chief HIV researcher at the center.
He added that the vaccine, based on the one used to prevent smallpox, is the first vaccine of its kind against HIV to begin a second-phase clinical trial.
"With a significant reduction in virulence, the vaccine will not cause infection in healthy recipients," said Shao.
The vaccine under development does not contain the complete human immunodeficiency virus. Rather, it contains segments of HIV DNA so as not to cause infection.
The HIV DNA will continue to replicate during the initial period of the vaccine injection, so that it will constantly stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies, which means that the effect will be stronger and more durable. This is similar to how vaccines work against some other diseases.
Most other HIV vaccines being developed in China and abroad are inactivated vaccines, which do not contain replicating HIV DNA, so they will not produce any kind of HIV infection. long-term immune effect.
The vaccine is also designed to target the most common HIV strains in China, he said.
His first-phase clinical trial, which began in 2007, has proven safe, said Shao. The second phase of the test will determine the vaccination procedure, he said.
"It is hoped that the second phase trial will be completed in the second half of 2021 and that the third phase trial will begin at the end of the current year." Volunteers will participate in an attempt to test the effectiveness of the vaccine to protect people from HIV, "said Shao.
More than 130 volunteers have been recruited so far for the second phase trial, and initial work is underway in a Beijing hospital and another hospital in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, did he declare.
Chuang Chuang, who heads Hangzhou Sunflower, an LGBT-rights charity that helped recruit volunteers in Hangzhou, said more than 100 volunteers had contacted the organization to register after hearing about it. of the second phase test.
"Some of them were disqualified after our selection process and the others were sent to the Hangzhou Hospital," he said. "They have to go through physical tests before becoming officially volunteers.
"Most of the volunteers I know are students or (other) young men." Some of them initially signed up, but withdrew after being informed that they should participate in the whole trial, which lasts nearly two years.
Nuan Yang, a Hangzhou volunteer, said that he had registered through the organization as soon as he had heard of the second phase trial.
"I hope to see the vaccine available to us as soon as possible." Although HIV can be controlled and AIDS is almost a chronic disease now, many people living with HIV are under severe pressure and must undergo discrimination of others, "he said.
"If a vaccine is available to prevent infection, fewer people will fear HIV and discriminate against carriers."
Shao said developing HIV vaccines was much harder than developing vaccines for other diseases because of the ever-changing nature of HIV, but progress has been made around the world in the past. the last decade.
"AIDS is one of the most serious threats to human health and we should never lose hope of defeating it, even if it is very difficult," he said.
The number of people living with HIV in China was estimated at about 1.25 million by the end of last year and about 80,000 people are infected each year, according to the National Health Commission.
Although the prevalence of HIV infection in China is lower than in many other countries, China faces serious prevention and control problems because of the large number of cases, he added. .
Sustained efforts, including better public education, are needed, the commission said.
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