Georgia: Atlanta Home to HIV Vaccine Testing, Research

Thursday, May 18, is national HIV/AIDS Vaccine Awareness Day, and in Atlanta, researchers and volunteers are part of the effort to find a vaccine.

At Emory University, the Hope Clinic's Step Study targets men who have sex with men, and female sex workers who use illegal drugs, said Dr. Carlos del Rio, the clinic's executive director.

"With over 5 million new HIV infections and over 40,000 new cases in the United States each year, finding an effective vaccine should be the number one public health priority for the world today," said del Rio. "The trial is important for Atlanta, since it's the first opportunity for both men and women from high-risk populations here to participate in testing a vaccine to prevent HIV."

Volunteers must test HIV-negative to participate in the study, which is now in its second year. Participants are injected with the vaccine MRKAd5, which uses a common cold virus to deliver three copies of non-reproducing HIV genes to induce an immune response.

In addition, a vaccine developed by a team of researchers led by Emory's Dr. Harriet Robinson, together with Atlanta-based GeoVax Inc., entered human trials last month. In these studies, which are expected to last at least four years, participants receive two inoculations aimed at stimulating the body's ability to identify HIV, followed by two vaccine doses to boost the immune response. This trial does not involve Atlanta volunteers.

In commemoration of HIV/AIDS Vaccine Awareness Day, numerous events are planned May 16-21 in cooperation with Hope Clinic and Emory's Vaccine Center. These include lectures, a film screening, a race and walk, and a bike race. Action Cycling 200, a two-day bike ride to Athens, Ga., and back to Atlanta, has collected more than $130,000 in three years for HIV/AIDS vaccine research. All funds raised go to the beneficiaries.

Back to other news for May 17, 2006