Moderna working on HIV vaccine, clinical trial set to start Thursday
HOUSTON - Moderna is now working on a new HIV vaccine, in hopes their new mRNA technology develop for the Covid-19 vaccine can be applied to also help prevent the HIV virus from attacking the body.
"It would be the first of its kind, we don’t have a vaccine for HIV," said Jeffrey Campbell, AIDS Foundation of Houston.
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Jeffrey Campbell, who’’s been with the AIDS Foundation of Houston for the past 20 years tells FOX 26, over the decades medical advancement has taken strides but talks about a vaccine is a big step forward.
"Groundbreaking," said Campbell. "As we talk about ending the HIV epidemic in America, the vaccine is going to be key to getting there."
Phase one of the trial will asses the safety and the effectiveness of the vaccine, along with its ability to generate neutralizing antibodies against the virus. The AIDS Foundation of Houston has high hopes.
"There is a similarity in the way viruses attack the body, when we get something that can prevent a virus from destroying the immune system, I think that it a launch pad for another diseases," said Campbell.
Jereme Scott, who's lived with the virus for the past 36 years spoke with FOX 26, he believes this could help a lot of people.
"I do believe there’s hope in this vaccine," said Scott. "In the early 80’s, we were all guinea pigs. The first medications that we were taking 18 pills that were making us sick, things have advanced now."
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According to HIV.Gov, approximately 1.2 million people in the U.S. have the virus and about 13% of them don’t know it.
Phase one of the clinical trial is set to start Thursday. According to Moderna. the study will be completed in 2023.