The trial has been initiated by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The vaccine candidate was jointly developed by the Dale and Betty Bumpers Vaccine Research Center (VRC), a part of NIAID, and GenVec.
The vaccine was developed using GenVec’s proprietary adenovector technology and the company’s 293-ORF6 production cell line. It is directed against the three major strains of HIV that cause AIDS worldwide and was produced under a $40 million subcontract issued and managed by SAIC- Frederick that extends through 2008.
This second phase I trial will preliminarily assess whether administration of the adenovector-based vaccine is safe and well-tolerated in volunteers previously immunized with an HIV DNA vaccine candidate invented by the VRC.
Results from the study will be used to evaluate safety and whether this approach can improve the body’s immune responses against HIV versus responses, induced by the HIV DNA vaccine candidate alone or the HIV adenovector alone.