Researchers look for clues to HIV vaccine

recent announcement by VaxGen Inc. of the results of an international HIV vaccine study is spurring an intensified effort among University researchers to test this and other potential AIDS vaccines.

The results of the study that tested 5,400 volunteers at 59 sites in North America and Europe, including 62 volunteers in the Rochester area, show that the vaccine was not effective in preventing infection overall. However, the findings come with a surprising twist--the study suggests that the vaccine may be able to offer some protection to black and Asian volunteers who participated.

"We can't let up now," says Michael Keefer, associate professor of medicine, who directs the HIV Vaccine Unit at the Medical Center. "We continue to learn about HIV at an incredible pace, and [this recent] announcement adds another piece to the puzzle as well as perhaps an important clue in the intriguing findings in African-American volunteers. We will build on these results to move forward and test more vaccines in an effort to protect more people from this devastating disease."

The University's HIV vaccine unit is currently testing four potential HIV vaccines and is about to begin evaluating six more. For these 10 studies, a total of more than 100 volunteers is needed locally. Volunteers should be between the ages of 18 and 50, in good health, and not infected with HIV.

"Volunteers are typically healthy people who want to do something to stop the AIDS pandemic," says Keefer. "Oftentimes our volunteers are friends or family members of people who have been affected by the disease. Sometimes they're simply people who want to play a role in solving this awful problem and help future generations.

"The participation of such volunteers is crucial. Without them, efforts to develop a vaccine to stop the spread of AIDS would grind to a halt. Today's results demonstrate that now is the time to renew our efforts to put an end to this disease."

The University's HIV vaccine unit is one of 25 sites worldwide that make up the global HIV Vaccine Trials Network directed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Rochester is one of only four sites nationwide that has been working on a vaccine since the first units were created in 1988.

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