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Vaccines
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The Need for an HIV Vaccine in the Era of...
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The Need for an HIV Vaccine in the Era of Highly Effective PrEP

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2027 | Viewed by 779

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Michele Peake Andrasik

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Interests: HIV prevention; health inequities; qualitative methods; trauma-informed care
Dr. William O. Hahn

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, HIV Vaccine Trials Network, Seattle, WA, USA
Interests: HIV prevention; HIV vaccines; tuberculosis; vaccines; immunology; clinical trials; clinical infectious disease
Dr. Susan P. Buchbinder

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
San Francisco Department of Public Health and UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA
Interests: HIV vaccines; PrEP; HIV prevention; disparities; clinical trials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There is still a need for an HIV vaccine, even though there are effective HIV prevention options like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). This Special Issue aims to thoroughly examine the landscape of HIV prevention with an emphasis on the critical role of an HIV vaccine in bringing an end to the HIV epidemic. It will encompass the extensive impact of HIV vaccine research infrastructure, ongoing initiatives in HIV vaccine research, and the strategic direction for future research in this field.

Dr. Michele Peake Andrasik
Dr. William O. Hahn
Dr. Susan P. Buchbinder
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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
  • vaccines
  • HIV prevention
  • bnAbs
  • clinical trials

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

12 pages, 243 KB  
Review
Social Context Considerations for Future HIV Vaccine Introduction and Implementation
by Nivedita L. Bhushan, Rafael Gonzalez and Brian G. Southwell
Vaccines 2026, 14(5), 450; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines14050450 - 19 May 2026
Viewed by 219
Abstract
Background: The development of an efficacious preventive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine remains a central goal of global HIV elimination efforts, yet biological performance alone will not determine a future vaccine’s public health impact. Method: This review draws on behavioral science, communication research, [...] Read more.
Background: The development of an efficacious preventive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine remains a central goal of global HIV elimination efforts, yet biological performance alone will not determine a future vaccine’s public health impact. Method: This review draws on behavioral science, communication research, vaccine implementation, and HIV prevention literature to identify cognitive, social, and structural challenges that are likely to shape public acceptance and uptake of a future HIV vaccine, as well as to outline evidence-based opportunities for addressing them. Results: Based on the available literature, mental models of both HIV and vaccination will be a critical determinant of how communities consider a future vaccine, particularly given that emerging mRNA and adjuvanted platforms may generate side effects that could be easily misinterpreted and that highly effective long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) options already exist and will shape how individuals evaluate a vaccine’s relative value. HIV-related stigma further complicates this landscape by making vaccination a socially interpreted behavior, unlike some other vaccination efforts. Together, these factors suggest that hesitancy and misalignment between public understanding and scientific evidence are predictable and should be anticipated rather than addressed reactively. At the same time, decades of HIV prevention implementation research have established an evidence base for vaccine communication, and existing community engagement infrastructure offers a foundation upon which future rollout efforts can build. We highlight three evidence-based strategies as particularly promising levers for encouraging acceptance and adoption. Conclusions: We conclude with recommendations for HIV vaccine researchers and healthcare professionals to invest in formative research, build community partnerships in advance of vaccine availability, and pilot integrated delivery models within existing HIV prevention services. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Need for an HIV Vaccine in the Era of Highly Effective PrEP)
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