The trials involved priming an immune response with three doses of a plasmid DNA (pDNA) vaccine over a two-month period, based on Vical’s proprietary DNA technology, and boosting the response with a single dose of adenoviral vector vaccine at six months.
“These recent vaccine trials contribute to the growing body of knowledge demonstrating plasmid DNA priming as a key factor in achieving significant immune responses against HIV, a particularly difficult target pathogen, bringing us one step closer to evaluating the effectiveness of a prime-boost HIV vaccine regimen in a prophylactic setting,” said Vijay Samant, Vical’s president and CEO.