The recombinant adenovirus serotype 26 (rAd26) vector is specifically designed to avoid the pre-existing immunity to the more commonly used adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5), which has recently shown limitations as an HIV vaccine vector.
The Phase I clinical study will be conducted at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in Boston and will focus on assessing the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine. The study will involve 48 healthy volunteers.
Jaap Goudsmit, chief scientific officer of Crucell, said: “The rAd26 vector, as part of our AdVac technology program, is designed to overcome the problem of pre-existing immunity in humans against the most commonly used recombinant vaccine vector, adenovirus serotype 5.”