Crucell, Harvard to Take Part in Experimental AIDS Vaccine Test in Africa

Crucell NV plans to test its experimental AIDS vaccine in the U.S. and Africa, advancing the quest for a protective shot against the world’s deadliest infectious disease.

Crucell will participate in a trial of the vaccine in adults who don’t have HIV to assess its safety and ability to prompt an immune response, the Leiden, Netherlands-based company said in a statement today. The company didn’t specify when the trial will start or how many people will be included.

The vaccine combines shots made by Crucell and the New York-based International AIDS Vaccine Initiative in a so-called prime-boost approach that’s designed to both kill infected cells and prevent HIV from entering those that are uninfected. The theory was tested with another vaccine in Thailand last year that cut infections by 31 percent, the first shot to protect those at risk. The effect waned after the first year, prompting researchers to look for ways to improve on the result.

“Our program to develop this combination vaccine represents one of the most advanced AIDS vaccine programs in the world,” Jaap Goudsmit, Crucell’s chief scientific officer, said in the statement.

Researchers from Harvard University’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical School and the Charlestown, Massachusetts-based Ragon Institute will also participate in the trial, Crucell said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Simeon Bennett in Singapore at sbennett9@bloomberg.net

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