Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2008. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - April 13, 2008
Bobby Jordan
The trial has been branded a public health risk by an environmental group that claims the vaccine due to be tested is a potentially dangerous kind of genetically modified organism (GMO).
But HIV/Aids researchers say the "candidate" vaccine has been thoroughly tested in laboratories and, if successful in humans, could represent one of the most important medical breakthroughs ever.
The trial, the first to test a vaccine fully developed in South Africa, is due to start at sites in South Africa and the US later this year and is part of the South African Aids Vaccine Initiative.
The vaccine is a combination of five HIV genes inserted into a host smallpox virus to be injected into 36 healthy HIV- negative volunteers. They will be monitored for 12 to 24 months in the hope that the vaccine does no harm.
It is the second HIV/Aids South African vaccine trial to generate huge international interest as scientists rush to find an equivalent to vaccines that helped conquer polio and smallpox.
The Department of Agriculture on Friday confirmed receiving a formal objection to the trial from the African Centre for Biosafety, an outspoken critic of GMOs. The objection hinges on safety concerns about GMOs - particularly a new kind of GMO vaccine - which some scientists say are not fully understood. The new multigene GMO vaccine could combine with other viruses to create new viruses, and set off a "worst-case scenario" - the breakout of a virus capable of harming people, objectors say.
"There is evidence in the literature that this kind of virus may infect human cells," said Mariam Mayet, environmental activist and anti-GM lobbyist. "This means it is not a completely dead vaccine. If something goes wrong we have to live with the consequences."
South African molecular biologist William Stafford urged caution this week: "The uncertainties are huge because you can generate totally novel viruses whose properties you don't know - it's a total black box."
But HIV/Aids researchers said the objections were ill-founded and should not derail what could be one of South Africa's greatest research triumphs.
Glenda Gray, a world-renowned HIV/Aids researcher and head of the national vaccine initiative, said: "We've done everything that any other vaccine developer would do because we don't want to take any shortcuts."
She said other genetically modified vaccines were saving lives worldwide.
080413
ST080402
Copyright © 2008 - The Sunday Times. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Sunday Times Permissions Desk.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Elton John AIDS Foundation UK, the National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2008. 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, 2008. 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. .