11 November 1998

Aussies Set To Trial HIV Vaccine

Scientists at ANU, CSIRO and MacFarlane Burnet Centre (MBC) are trialing a new technique which may lead to the first viable vaccine against HIV.

The vaccine, developed at the John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR), works in two stages - first priming the immune system before dramatically boosting the immune response against the virus.

"We have shown that the vaccine is very effective in monkeys and gives them tremendous immunity to HIV," said Professor Ian Ramshaw and Dr Alistair Ramsay of JCSMR, who with Dr Stephen Kent of MBC and Dr David Boyle of CSIRO have refined and tested the vaccine.