German Scientists to Start Testing AIDS Vaccine on Humans

Feb. 17, 2004

Scientists form the Hamburg University Clinic Eppendorf will be injecting the 'tgAAC09' vaccine in volunteers after tests on monkeys gave "encouraging" results.

Although the monkeys were not absolutely protected after the vaccine, their bodies contained considerable fewer viruses.

Scientist Jan van Lunzen will be starting tests on 50 people between the ages of 18 to 60 at the beginning of March. Volunteers need to be HIV negative.

Van Lunzen said that at this stage of the tests the main aim was to find out whether the human body tolerated the vaccine.

Most of the volunteers are medical students and van Lunzen said: "I've already found enough volunteers. I have the feeling that they all participated out of unselfish reasons."

Volunteers will have to undertake a thorough medical check before starting the 13-months test. After the one-off vaccine, they will be monitored by doctors.

Van Lunzen said: "An infection with HIV can be totally ruled out."

The vaccine contains viruses whose DNA was partly replaced with DNA from AIDS viruses. The viruses are not able to grow.

Van Lunzen said that his research was based on the HIV subtype C which is widespread in Africa.

Worldwide around 40 million people suffer from AIDS, three quarters of whom live in Africa. Various vaccines have been tested so far but with only little success.

The German vaccine was developed by the Ohio based Children Research Institute and is now being tested in Germany and Belgium.

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