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| |  HGP-30 AIDS Vaccine Shows Recognition of Major HIV Subtypes ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 5, 1997 -- Data which shows that a recently developed HIV vaccine induced antibodies in humans and in mice that recognize the corresponding regions of the HIV subtypes B, C and E was presented yesterday (May 4) The HGP-30 vaccine is copied from a region of the HIV B subtype which is the dominant type in the U.S. and Western Europe. Subtype C is dominant in Africa and parts of Asia. Subtype E is an aggressive subtype found in Thailand. This finding is important because there is substantial variability accompanied by continued mutation between these different subtypes of HIV. A broadly effective vaccine against HIV would have to recognize the different subtypes and protect against them. These studies suggest that it may be possible to create a broadly protective HIV vaccine for human use. The presentation was made on May 4, 1997 at the 9th Annual Meeting of the National Cooperative Vaccine Development Groups, on the campus of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The blood tested was obtained from recipients of the HGP-30 vaccine who had been part of an earlier HGP-30 SCID mouse study. This study had shown significant protection against a high HIV challenge dose using a virus strain different than the one from which HGP-30 is derived. Their blood showed antibodies to HGP-30 as well as to the B, C and E HIV subtype peptides. No correlation was observed between human HLA distribution and the generation of antibodies recognizing different HIV subtypes or protection from HIV infection. To test if the use of novel adjuvants could further improve the recognition of the different HIV subtypes to HGP-30, experiments in mice were conducted. The tests with different adjuvants induced a more broadly cross reacting immune response than is observed with alum which is the only adjuvant currently approved for human use. Researchers at CEL-SCI Corporation, makers of the vaccines, believe that this result was achieved because the HGP-30 peptide is a copy of a piece of the AIDS virus that is subject to much less variability than other parts of the virus, such as the envelope. Dr. Prem Sarin, Vice President of Research, Infectious Diseases says, "The present studies bring us a step closer to the potential development of a broadly protective HIV vaccine for global use."
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