Science / Medicine : AIDS Vaccine Tests Planned

Safety tests on a new AIDS vaccine will begin soon at St. Stephen’s Hospital in London, according to Dr. Allan Goldstein of the George Washington University School of Medicine. Tests are being conducted in England, he said, because U.S. officials are taking too long to approve such studies.

HGP-30 is a synthetic copy of a that is part of the internal structure of the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome. In laboratory tests, Goldstein said HGP-30 has been shown to stimulate the production of antibodies that attack and kill both the AIDS virus and cells in the body that are infected with the AIDS virus.

Meanwhile, MicroGeneSys Inc., which developed the country’s first experimental AIDS vaccine, plans to begin testing a second AIDS vaccine on humans within a year, according to company chairman Franklin Volvovitz. He said the two vaccines may eventually be combined to provide greater protection against the deadly AIDS virus.