Moderna, a U.S. biotechnology company that develops messenger RNA drugs, will test two HIV mRNA vaccines in humans at once. Clinical trials will start before the end of 2021.
Two experimental vaccines, Moderna mRNA-1644 and mRNA-1644v2-Core, have passed phase I testing, according to a publication on the NIH-operated website ClinicalTrials.gov. The randomized trial, conducted for the first time in humans, will recruit about 56 adults between the ages of 18 and 50. Some of the volunteers are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. The study is expected to be completed around May 2023.
The mRNA-1644 vaccine test will use iterative human studies to assess the correct approach, as well as new antigens for immunofocusing. The second drug, mRNA-1574, contains more native trimeric antigens.
Vaccines based on matrix ribonucleic acid are based on a fundamentally new approach – mRNA preparations contain instructions for the cells of the human body, allowing them to produce certain proteins that provide an immune response.
Moderna has achieved strong results thanks to the success of its mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine, which is projected to sell about $ 20 billion this year. It has also recently begun phase I / II trials of its tetravalent mRNA mRNA-1010 candidate for a seasonal influenza vaccine.
