The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 276 No 7405 p714
17 June 2006

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Possible predictor of HIV vaccine efficacy

Partially effective HIV vaccines may still convey a survival benefit, results of two studies in monkeys suggest (Science 2006;312:1530 and The Journal of Experimental Medicine 2006;203:1533).

Researchers found that monkeys vaccinated against simian immunodeficiency virus and then exposed to the virus survived longer than unvaccinated monkeys. The vaccine protected the memory CD4 T-cells early on in the infection. The studies also identified a measurable marker of vaccine efficacy (central memory CD4 T-cells) that may be useful in future trials of human HIV vaccines.