This study will take place in parallel to Mymetics’ ongoing preclinical trial in another primate model, recently initiated in collaboration with the Cochin Institute, Paris, France, the Institute of Laboratory Animal Science of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the Faculty of Laboratory Animal Sciences of the Peking Union Medical College in Beijing.
In an earlier study, Mymetics’ vaccine elicited antibodies in the blood and other important anatomical compartments, such as internal mucosal surfaces, considered to be primary HIV entry sites.
The mucosal antibodies showed high potency in vitro at inhibiting transcytosis of laboratory and primary HIV viruses from different HIV clades (strains), including those prevalent in Western countries and in Africa and parts of Asia.
“We are extremely pleased that the NIH, an acknowledged world leader in supporting various vaccine research programs, has agreed to initiate their own preclinical study, qualifying our latest vaccine candidate as ‘very promising [and worthy of] a thorough evaluation,'” said Dr Sylvain Fleury, Mymetics’ chief scientific officer.