Low-cost killed bacterial HIV vaccine aimed at key parts of the HIV envelope
Globally Appropriate Genome Reduced Killed Whole Bacterial HIV Vaccines
This project is creating an inexpensive, killed bacterial vaccine designed to teach the immune system to make protective antibodies against key pieces of HIV for people at risk of infection.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Virginia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Charlottesville, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11319747 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are using a killed, genome-reduced E. coli platform that displays small, linear pieces of the HIV envelope (the MPER and fusion peptide) on the bacterial surface to train the immune system. The team can build and test candidate vaccines quickly and cheaply and aims for a product that costs about $1 per dose and is easy to make and ship globally. Preliminary work showed the platform produced protective responses in an animal coronavirus model and generated neutralizing sera in mice with an MPER-derived antigen. The current plan is to design DNA sequences for the HIV antigens, express them on the bacterial platform, and test safety and immune responses in preclinical models as a step toward human testing.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates for future trials would be adults at risk of HIV or healthy volunteers eligible for early-phase vaccine studies.
Not a fit: People already living with HIV who need treatment rather than prevention, or those with contraindications to bacterial-component vaccines, may not directly benefit from this preventive vaccine approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could produce an affordable, globally scalable preventive HIV vaccine that protects people from infection.
How similar studies have performed: Vaccine strategies targeting MPER and the fusion peptide have been challenging in humans, but this specific killed-bacteria platform showed promising protective results in an animal coronavirus model, making the HIV application novel but supported by early preclinical data.
Where this research is happening
Charlottesville, United States
- University of Virginia — Charlottesville, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zeichner, Steven L. — University of Virginia
- Study coordinator: Zeichner, Steven L.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.