GeoVax Labs announced the results of a phase I clinical trial testing HIV/AIDS vaccine products. GeoVax is developing two vaccine components: a recombinant DNA-vectored vaccine and a recombinant MVA-vectored vaccine.

Both produce non-infectious virus-like particles in the body of a vaccine recipient. These particles are designed to "train" the vaccinated immune system to recognize HIV should a person be exposed to the real virus. Both the DNA and MVA vaccines induce humoral (antibody) and cellular (T cell) responses. Antibodies can block virus before it infects cells. The T cells can recognize and kill cells that become infected by virus that gets past the antibody.

Results were published in the March 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases for three different trial regimens: (1) priming with two doses of the pGA2/JS7 recombinant DNA vaccine and boosting with two doses of MVA/HIV62B recombinant MVA vaccine (DDMM regimen); (2) priming with one dose of the recombinant DNA and boosting with two doses of the recombinant MVA (DMM regimen); and (3) priming and boosting with a total of three doses of the recombinant MVA vaccine (MMM regimen).