Mosaico HIV Vaccine Trial Is Over—What Does That Mean?
In 2019, Janssen Pharmaceuticals began the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine trial known as Mosaico in an attempt to finally develop a more accessible and permanent solution to the public health crisis that plagues tens of millions across the globe. On January 18th of 2023, however, the project finally ended—without success. The experimental vaccine was found to be an ineffective form of treatment.
HIV is a human immunodeficiency virus transmitted through sexual intercourse or the sharing of drug injection materials such as needles. When left untreated, it can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) which is a chronic, often fatal, and lifelong medical condition. Although antiviral treatments do exist, they are much less accessible to people living outside of developed countries and both HIV and AIDS currently have no permanent cure. If researchers were able to create a vaccine that could protect people from the HIV virus, it could be more easily mass-distributed and thus be a more equitable, widespread solution to this global public health issue. This was the intent of the scientists involved in the Mosaico project.
HIV is a human immunodeficiency virus transmitted through sexual intercourse or the sharing of drug injection materials such as needles. When left untreated, it can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) which is a chronic, often fatal, and lifelong medical condition. Although antiviral treatments do exist, they are much less accessible to people living outside of developed countries and both HIV and AIDS currently have no permanent cure. If researchers were able to create a vaccine that could protect people from the HIV virus, it could be more easily mass-distributed and thus be a more equitable, widespread solution to this global public health issue. This was the intent of the scientists involved in the Mosaico project.
The Mosaico project used a combination of sub-strains of HIV, which became the basis for the term “mosaic,” in their attempt to create a vaccine that would produce an immune response to the virus.
Image Source: Anna Shvets
Mosaico’s trial consisted of administering four injections made up of a “mosaic” of HIV substrains and vaccine components across the span of a year with the intent to provoke an immune response to the HIV virus. This treatment was administered to an experimental group made up of 3,900 cisgender and transgender individuals aged 18–60 years old across Europe, North America, and South America. While not unsafe, the experimental treatment did not achieve the desired effect, so the project was concluded in its final trials.
Although this failure is definitely disappointing, the project has contributed to making progress in fighting the HIV virus according to Dr. Wallace, one of the investigators of the trial. The HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) has launched a few new studies since the beginning of the Mosaico project, including a set of 3 experimental mRNA vaccines. mRNA vaccines are different from traditional vaccines in that instead of injecting a part of the virus, they use mRNA, a type of ribonucleic acid that carries instructions on how to make proteins, to teach cells to produce an immune response to the virus. These new attempts will be able to use the data acquired from Mosaico’s trials to continue working on developing a functional HIV vaccine and bring humanity one step closer to a solution to the AIDS public health crisis.
Although this failure is definitely disappointing, the project has contributed to making progress in fighting the HIV virus according to Dr. Wallace, one of the investigators of the trial. The HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) has launched a few new studies since the beginning of the Mosaico project, including a set of 3 experimental mRNA vaccines. mRNA vaccines are different from traditional vaccines in that instead of injecting a part of the virus, they use mRNA, a type of ribonucleic acid that carries instructions on how to make proteins, to teach cells to produce an immune response to the virus. These new attempts will be able to use the data acquired from Mosaico’s trials to continue working on developing a functional HIV vaccine and bring humanity one step closer to a solution to the AIDS public health crisis.
Featured Image Source: RF._.studio
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