Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - September 4, 2005
Claire Keeton

The Wits Perinatal HIV Research Unit based at the hospital in Soweto has won grants for five new human HIV vaccine trials.

The success of the unit at Bara comes as another site, set up at the same time in 2003, is shutting down as its funding was not renewed.

South African Aids Vaccine Initiative spokesman Michelle Galloway said this week: "If all these trials take place at Baragwanath, it will be one of the leading HIV vaccine trial sites in the world."

To date, the unit has completed two HIV vaccine trials and has another five in the pipeline - two of which kicked off recently.

Four of the trials involve injecting HIV-negative volunteers with a vaccine, in a bid to make them safe from infection. Trials for an experimental vaccine to prevent HIV infection are only possible through the participation of HIV-negative volunteers.

Director of the HIV/Aids Vaccine Research Division for the unit, Dr Efthyia Vardas, said this week: "Participants have been keen to come forward, and to have their role acknowledged. This is surprising, given the stigma associated with HIV. In the US participants do not want their names disclosed."

Vardas also said the unit was winding up the second of its initial two HIV vaccine trials that started in 2003, involving about 55 volunteers. The focus was on safety and side effects.

"Both studies have come to an end and the follow-up is being completed.

"Everyone has done very well. We had almost no drop-outs and they had to come for about nine visits [after the injections]," she said.

She said some of the participants had become so involved with the trials that they were going to sit on the unit's community advisory board.

These trials were designed to test the safety of the vaccine and whether it triggers any immune response.

Vardas said: "These two trials have been a success. There have been no serious side effects, just a few sore arms."

Researchers are now analysing whether these two vaccines led to any immune response that indicates potential in blocking HIV.

Vardas said: "By the end of the year we hope to have these results, but from a safety point of view we have already achieved our aim."

Sifiso Madondo, 27, an HIV- negative volunteer in the trial that started this week, said he signed up for this to help the fight against HIV.

"I came here for an HIV test last year and it was negative, and they invited me to join the trial. I wanted to do this as I know that lots of people are dying of Aids."

Most of the volunteers that signed up for these trials were from Soweto, with a few from Pretoria.

In addition, the unit is also preparing to test a new type of vaccine - for people who are HIV-positive.

Vardas said: "The new therapeutic vaccine for people already infected with HIV is very exciting."

According to Vardas, if this vaccine works, it could eliminate the need for antiretroviral treatment.

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