A Japanese consortium plans to begin clinical testing of its AIDS vaccine in the U.S. and elsewhere as early as 2010 in what would mark the first such testing of a Japanese-developed AIDS vaccine, The Nikkei reported in its Tuesday morning edition.
Developed using the proprietary technology of biotech venture firm Dnavec Corp., the nasal-spray vaccine is aimed at increasing the number of immune cells available to attack cells infected by HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
The consortium includes the University of Tokyo, Dnavec, and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, among others.
By using the vaccine, people who do not have AIDS would be able to increase their chance of fighting off the disease and reduce the risk of passing it on to others.
In tests that the group conducted using monkeys, HIV did not propagate among 60% of subjects given the vaccine prior to being exposed to the virus. Various AIDS vaccines have been tested around the world, but only a few were found to be effective in tests using monkeys, which belong to the same primate family as humans.
Clinical tests involving several dozen healthy people are expected to be organized through the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, or IAVI, according to a basic agreement that has been struck with the Japanese group. If the tests prove the vaccine's safety and effectiveness, larger scale clinical tests will be carried out. The consortium hopes to commercialize the vaccine around 2015.
The IAVI, a global organization working to promote the development of preventative AIDS vaccines, is financed by donors including a foundation set up by Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates.
