HIV vaccine to undergo new tests in Germany

Scientists in Germany are for the first time preparing to conduct human trials on a new vaccine designed to prevent HIV infection as well as slow the spread of AIDS in the developing world.

In a major boost to the global war on AIDS, German researchers developing a preventive HIV vaccine said Monday they will shortly start testing it on humans.

The clinical human trial, which will take place in Germany and Belgium, will initially last a year and involve injecting the vaccine into 50 healthy volunteers. The testing phase is meant to determine the safety of the vaccine and check whether it produces immune responses, informs &to=http://www.dw-world.de' target=_blank>DW-World.de

The vaccine, known as tgAAC09, targets the strain of HIV that is mostly prominent in South Africa, India and China. The strain, HIV subtype C, is responsible for the vast majority of HIV cases around the world. The trials will take place in Bonn and Hamburg, as well as coinciding trials to be carried out in Belgium. The vaccine was developed by the Targeted Genetics Corp. in cooperation with the Columbus Children's Research Institute, reports &to=http://www.shortnews.com' target=_blank>ShortNews