Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1999. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
San Francisco Chronicle - Tuesday, March 9, 1999
David Perlman, Chronicle Science Editor
In a joint project of the University of California and the city's Department of Public Health, the doctors are recruiting 300 volunteers who are free of infection by HIV, the AIDS virus, but who are at risk of contracting the disease because of sexual exposure.
The genetically engineered vaccine, called AIDSVAX, is made by VaxGen, a Brisbane biotechnology firm whose scientists began developing it more than 15 years ago.
Directors of the study in San Francisco are Dr. Susan Buchbinder, chief of AIDS research at the Health Department, and Dr. James Kahn of the University of California at San Francisco Positive Health Program at San Francisco General Hospital.
Volunteers for the study will be divided into two groups in what is known as a double- blind trial. One group will receive seven injections of the vaccine over 30 months, while the second group receives a placebo -- the same number of injections but containing no active material. Neither the volunteers nor the researchers will know who got the vaccine until the trial is over and the results are tabulated.
Several other AIDS vaccines are either under development or undergoing earlier stages of testing, but at this point no one knows whether any vaccine can prevent infection by the virus.
The final answer may not come for years, scientists agree. ``It will take a sustained and probably lengthy effort to develop a vaccine that stops HIV,'' said Dr. Mitch Katz, director of the San Francisco Health Department. Although preliminary trials of the AIDSVAX vaccine have shown that it is safe, a critical complicating issue in the current trials is the need for the volunteers to refrain from unsafe sexual behavior because the vaccine's effectiveness is still completely unknown, according to Buchbinder and Kahn.
As a consequence all the volunteers will undergo intensive counseling before and during the trial period, while the blood samples are taken and other tests are conducted.
Like other vaccines being developed, the one being tested in San Francisco is also being tried in more than 35 other American cities, and the goal is to test 5,000 people. In Thailand, similar trials have begun among intravenous drug users at methadone clinics, a company official said.
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED
Adults who want to volunteer for the San Francisco trials or obtain further information can call (415) 514-4822.
990309
SC990301
Copyright © 1999 - San Francisco Chronicle Press. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the San Francisco Chronicle, Permissions Desk, 901 Mission Street, San Franciso, CA 94103. You may also send a fax to (415) 495-3843, or an email message to chronperm@sfgate.com. http://www.sfgate.com.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1999. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 1999. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .