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2mo ago

Membrane-Bound mRNA HIV Vaccine Elicits Neutralizing Antibodies in 80% of Participants

An unexpected rate of hives in participants has prompted vaccine tweaks ahead of larger trials.

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Colorized scanning electron micrograph of HIV-1 virus particles (blue) both budding and attached to the surface of Hut-78/human lymphocyte cells (red). Image captured at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Credit: NIAID
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Overview

  • Membrane-bound mRNA HIV vaccine candidates induced neutralizing antibodies in 80% of trial participants versus 4% for soluble trimer formulations.
  • The trial enrolled 108 healthy adults at multiple U.S. sites, each receiving three doses of a single vaccine construct over six months.
  • Common side effects were mild and transient, but 6.5% of volunteers developed urticaria that improved with antihistamines and is under study.
  • Vaccine design hides nonneutralizing regions of the HIV envelope protein to focus immune responses on conserved protective sites.
  • Developers plan to optimize mRNA constructs to minimize skin reactions and assess antibody breadth against diverse HIV strains in larger trials.