HIV Vaccine Development and Clinical Trails

A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "HIV Vaccines".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 3458

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Animal Models and Retroviral Vaccines Section, Vaccine Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
Interests: HIV vaccine development; immunology of HIV vaccines; non-human primate model for HIV vaccine development and testing; Innate response to anti-HIV vaccines; T cell response to anti-HIV vaccines; anti-HIV immune responses targeting V1V2

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The HIV pandemic still remains a burden for many people worldwide. In 2022, approximately 1.3 million new HIV infections were recorded globally, yet only 76% of people living with the virus had access to antiretroviral therapy in that same year. It is clear that the development of an effective anti-HIV vaccine will be essential to control the HIV pandemic. Pre-clinical and clinical studies conducted in animals and human volunteers are pivotal to develop novel anti-HIV vaccine strategies and to test their safety and immunogenicity.

Vaccines is a peer-reviewed international journal focused on clinical vaccine research, utilization, and immunization and we are pleased to invite you to submit your manuscripts to one of this journal’s Special Issue titled ‘HIV Vaccine Development and Clinical Trials.’

The aim of this Special Issue is to share pre-clinical and clinical studies pertaining to new anti-HIV vaccine technologies, improvement in already tested anti-HIV vaccines, and the implementation of novel strategies, such as the use of different immunogens or adjuvants, to increase the immune responses elicited by anti-HIV vaccines. 

We welcome both original research articles and reviews. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:

  • Development of novel anti-HIV vaccines and immunogens;
  • Development of novel adjuvants in the contest of anti-HIV vaccines;
  • Induction of anti-HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies;
  • Testing of novel anti-HIV vaccines in preclinical studies in animal models;
  • Testing of novel anti-HIV vaccines in clinical trials in human volunteers;
  • Development of assays to investigate immune responses to anti-HIV vaccination;
  • Investigation of immune correlates of protection in preclinical and clinical studies.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Massimiliano Bissa
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • HIV vaccine
  • HIV vaccine clinical trial
  • HIV vaccine adjuvant
  • correlate of decreased HIV risk
  • HIV immunogen
  • broadly neutralizing antibodies

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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19 pages, 4717 KiB  
Article
Arenavirus-Based Vectors Generate Robust SIV Immunity in Non-Human Primates
by Bhawna Sharma, Elena Bekerman, Hoa Truong, Johnny Lee, Maria Gamez-Guerrero, Archana Boopathy, Rohit Mital, Katell Bidet Huang, Sarah Ahmadi-Erber, Raphaela Wimmer, Sophie Schulha, Henning Lauterbach, Klaus Orlinger, Silpa Suthram, Mark G. Lewis, Wade Blair, Tariro Makadzange, Romas Geleziunas, Jeffrey P. Murry and Sarah Schmidt
Vaccines 2024, 12(7), 735; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12070735 - 2 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1959
Abstract
Arenavirus-based vectors are being investigated as therapeutic vaccine candidates with the potential to elicit robust CD8 T-cell responses. We compared the immunogenicity of replicating (artPICV and artLCMV) and non-replicating (rPICV and rLCMV) arenavirus-based vectors expressing simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) Gag and Envelope (Env) [...] Read more.
Arenavirus-based vectors are being investigated as therapeutic vaccine candidates with the potential to elicit robust CD8 T-cell responses. We compared the immunogenicity of replicating (artPICV and artLCMV) and non-replicating (rPICV and rLCMV) arenavirus-based vectors expressing simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) Gag and Envelope (Env) immunogens in treatment-naïve non-human primates. Heterologous regimens with non-replicating and replicating vectors elicited more robust SIV IFN-γ responses than a homologous regimen, and replicating vectors elicited significantly higher cellular immunogenicity than non-replicating vectors. The heterologous regimen elicited high anti-Env antibody titers when administered intravenously, with replicating vectors inducing significantly higher titers than non-replicating vectors. Intramuscular immunization resulted in more durable antibody responses than intravenous immunization for both vector platforms, with no difference between the replicating and non-replicating vectors. Overall, both replicating and non-replicating arenavirus vectors generated robust T- and B-cell-mediated immunity to SIV antigens in treatment-naïve non-human primates, supporting further evaluation of these vectors in a clinical setting for HIV therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue HIV Vaccine Development and Clinical Trails)
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Navigating the Complexities of HIV Vaccine Development: Lessons from the Mosaico Trial and Next-Generation Development Strategies
by Victor Abiola Adepoju, Donald C. Udah, Okechukwu Innocent Onyezue, Qorinah Estiningtyas Sakilah Adnani, Safayet Jamil and Mohammed Nadir Bin Ali
Vaccines 2025, 13(3), 274; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines13030274 - 5 Mar 2025
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: The development of an effective HIV vaccine has faced persistent challenges, as evidenced by the recent discontinuation of the Mosaico phase 3 trial. This study aims to critically examine the obstacles encountered in HIV vaccine development, with a focus on the Mosaico [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: The development of an effective HIV vaccine has faced persistent challenges, as evidenced by the recent discontinuation of the Mosaico phase 3 trial. This study aims to critically examine the obstacles encountered in HIV vaccine development, with a focus on the Mosaico trial, which tested the Ad26.Mos4.HIV vaccine among 3,900 participants across multiple countries. We also explore emerging vaccine technologies and their potential in overcoming these challenges, while reflecting on lessons from previous trials to inform future strategies. Methods: We reviewed the Mosaico trial’s approach, which involved testing the efficacy of the Ad26.Mos4.HIV vaccine. We compared the outcomes of the Mosaico trial with other major HIV vaccine trials, including HVTN 702, Imbokodo, and RV144. We explored the limitations of the immune responses elicited by the Mosaico vaccine. The review focused on the generation of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) and the challenges related to antigenic diversity and B-cell engagement. Emerging vaccine technologies, such as virus-like particles (VLPs), nanoparticles, SOSIP trimers, and mRNA platforms, were also analysed for their scalability, immune durability, and potential to advance HIV vaccine development. Results: The Mosaico trial was discontinued due to insufficient efficacy in reducing HIV acquisition, primarily due to the inability of the vaccine to induce bNAbs, which are crucial for targeting the diverse HIV-1 strains. A major challenge was the inadequate engagement of germline B-cell precursors, compounded by the antigenic diversity of the virus. The analysis showed that emerging vaccine platforms, such as VLPs, nanoparticles, SOSIP trimers, and mRNA-based approaches, hold promise but present challenges related to scalability and the durability of immune responses. The role of T cells and adjuvants in enhancing vaccine efficacy was also highlighted as critical for integrating both humoral and cellular immunity. Conclusions: The Mosaico trial, as well as other major HIV vaccine trials, underscores the need for a multi-pronged approach that incorporates both antibody and T-cell responses to tackle the complexities of HIV-1. Future efforts in HIV vaccine development must focus on inducing bNAbs, generating robust T-cell responses, and utilizing scalable vaccine platforms. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into vaccine design offers new opportunities to optimize immunogenic targets, which could significantly improve the potential for durable and broad immune protection. The development of a successful HIV vaccine by 2030 is achievable but relies on leverage on advanced technologies including artificial intelligence, innovation and insights from past trial data. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue HIV Vaccine Development and Clinical Trails)
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